A Life of Second Chances
by Raven55
Summary: He betrayed her and left her behind while they had been trying to get their hands on a large sum of money. She wants to get back at him and has to run from the man they tried to rob while planning her revenge. And then love takes her by surprise
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I have never written anything in this genre. Please have a little patience with me and my characters. They'll develope into more complicated beings after a while, I promise. If anything in this story is similar to something someone else has written then I do want to assure you that this has happened by accident. Enjoy reading this first chapter of many more to come.

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**- A Life of Second Chances** -

**Chapter one**

The cold wind blew hard across the landscape and no trees were there to block it. A single person appeared in the distance. A woman. She pulled her cloak tighter around her in the vain hope to keep herself warm.

Her auburn hair whipped around her head like a flame. She struggled on and kept her eyes down. In her pocket a tight packet reminded her of her purpose.

She lifted her head and finally saw the city gates ahead of her. Her destination. Jabol city. The biggest and bussiest merchant centre in the country.

A faint smile crossed her face but faded again when she heard the churchbells chime. The clock struck eight and she was running late. Hurriedly she walked on and knocked on the gate when she reached it.

A man opened a small hatch and peered through it from the other side.

"Yes?"

"I'm here for the tournament." She said, trying to get her voice to rise above the howling of the wind.

The man looked at her curiously. She knew he was wondering what kind of business a young girl like her could have with the tournament.

"Not to participate, surely." He asked her.

"My business is my own." She said harshly. "And I do not appreciate your aksing about it, _sir_."

He shrugged. "Alright, alright. I was only askin'."

His face disappeared and after a few moments the gate opened to let her in. She didn't offer the guard another look and hurried through the streets, glancing at the church as she went by.

A quick and silent prayer escaped her lips, hoping she was still on time. She looked around and stopped the nearest person.

"Excuse me, sir." She quickly bobbed a curtsy. "I'm looking for the tavern."

"It's right over there. Just walk straight on and you'll see the sign hanging above the door."

"Thank you." She bobbed another curtsy and hurried on.

She could hear music coming from inside. This was a good sign. If a bard thought it worth while to hang around in a tavern at this hour then there would still be a lot of people inside. And if there were a lot of people still there...

She opened the door and closed it behind her quickly. The doorman looked at her curiously, but she ignored him.

The warmth greeted her and she closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy it. This was a bad idea. Immediately she whipped around and grabbed the hand that had just tried to reach into her pocket, trying to steal her purse.

It was a small boy, but he had a defiant look on his face as if he wasn't embarrassed about being caught. She tightened her grip and handed him to the doorman.

"This young boy tried to rob me. I trust you'll see to him." She said calmly.

She spoke with such authority that the doorman didn't hesitate to obey her. She turned around again and grinned. No little boy should try to beat her at her own game.

At the end of the room she could see a big table with a shortening row of people in front of it. She headed to the bar and listened to the innkeeper talking to a guest.

"Really? I thought that this diamond treasure was only a myth."

"Oh no. No, the treasure of Laek truly exists! As a matter of fact, the king's guards are bringing it to Marek in a week or so. That's what I heard."

The innkeeper nodded slowly and then noticed the girl at the bar, motioning him to come closer.

"I'm looking for master Writath." She said in a low voice.

The innkeeper looked at her strangely. "Master Writath?"

"He is also known as Sharkface by many. Perhaps you, too, know him by this name?"

The man's face lit up. "Oh! You mean _him_ ..."

His eyes dashed to a tall, round man near the fireplace and quickly returned to her.

"I'm sorry, young lady. But he's not here right now."

She was silent for a second. "...I thank you for your trouble, kind sir."

She turned around and walked past the long table, straight to the fireplace.

"Master Writath?" she said.

The man turned around slowly. He took a long look at her.

"Who asks?"

"I was told in my village that you were a man who likes to participate in large bets."

He turned back to his company and laughed. "So the young lady wishes to bet? Well, well..."

She didn't flinch at his patronising tone of voice.

"And how much do you wish to lose, little girl."

"I do not intend to lose. I intend to triple my bet." She retorted calmly.

She threw her money pouch on the table abd stared at him defiantly.

"This is the amount of money I want to bet. 1750 gold pieces."

The man turned back to his company and roared with laughter. "1750 gold pieces! My, a _fortune_!"

Suddenly he snapped back and grabbed her wrist. His smile had gone and suddenly she understood why he was called Sharkface. Two rows of razor sharp teeth could be seen when he looked at her.

"Tell me, girl. Do you know what happens to those who lose and can't pay me back? Did they tell you that in your village?"

She tried to pull her arm back and swallowed difficultly. "They say you have no mercy for those people. They say the last man who lost to you ended up a corpse on a stick, left for the birds and fiends to eat."

"And this doesn't scare you? It would be a shame to see a pretty face like yours being picked clean by crows, don't you think?"

She stepped back. "I intend not to lose, sir. I have already chosen my amount of money and who to bet it on. And I know I will win, now will you accept the wager or not?"

"My, my, my...you do seem confident. Alright then, I'll play along. After all, what is 1750 gold pieces to me? Nothing worth mentioning in my books."

His company laughed loudly, including the lady who was hanging from his arm.

"Well, come on then. Are you going to tell us who it is you're going to bet on?"

She lifted her chin up in the air. "Pavel."

A sudden silence fell over the table.

"_Sir Pavel_?"

"Is he competing?"

Writath didn't seem impressed. "Who is this man?"

The lady next to him gasped.

"Sir Pavel is one of the mightiest men around. An old knight of king Laek. They even say he has some blue blood in him himself!" she said breathlessly. "No man has ever faced him and lived. To oppose him you have to be a real fool."

Writath turned back to the girl and seemed to ponder. "...A bet with an edge. You have a taste for quality, girl. I like it. You've got a deal. And tomorrow we'll see if this Pavel is as good as the rumours say he is."

He handed her back her pouch.

"Here. Go to the table and talk to the boy. He'll take your money and put it away safely so no harm will come to it."

She nodded and stepped back slowly.

"I look forward to receive my winnings tomorrow." She said.

Behind her the group laughed again. But she laughed just as hard. She would win the bet and he would have to tripple her money and she would get away with a brilliant plan. Tomorrow she would be a rich lady.

The boy behind the table called for the next person in line. She stepped in front of a man with a black beard without the slightest bit of embarressement. However nervous he was, he didn't object.

She turned to the boy and handed him the pouch.

"Can I help you?" the boy said.

"You most certainly can." She answered back.

She looked at him for a moment. He was about her age, but she could see he was definitely a few years younger.

"I'd like to place a bet."

"And how much money would you like to deposit, miss...?"

"Robin. Like the bird." She said sweetly.

The boy blushed and wrote the name down. "And your deposit would be how much?"

"1750 gold pieces."

He looked up. "1750?"

"Yes. Against Writath."

"Excuse me, miss. But you shouldn't bet against Sharkface. He's the most vicious man around. You can't beat him!"

She smiled. His worrying was sweet.

"Listen...?"

"Ahro."

"Listen Ahro...I have a fool proof plan. I know what I'm doing and this way I can earn some money."

Hesitantly he wrote the amount of money down. "Well then, miss Robin. You've just wagered 1750 gold pieces against Writath. Who will you be betting _on_?"

"Ah, yes. You can write the name Pavel down on your list."

"Pavel?"

He seemed shocked.

"Now there's my fool proof plan, Ahro. Have a nice evening."

She smiled at him, waved and walked away. Ahro stared at her. She was so sure of what she was doing that he was convinced she might even win the bet. But no one won from Writath. Ever.

He took her pouch and carefully locked it in a safe. From the doorway he could see her wave at him. Or maybe it was meant for someone else. But he felt a little shiver go down his spine.

"I'd like to enlist for tomorrow's tournament." said the man with the black beard, waking Ahro from his thoughts.

"Oh...yes. Name please."

"Sir Pavel."

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Calandra took off her cloak and draped it over the chair near to window. She shivered a little and sat down on the bed, rolling out a bundle of cloth. A row of little iron picks and needles revealed themselves and she began to inspect them.

A sudden knock on her door startled her. She threw her cloak over the picks and straightened her dress.

She opened the door. A man with a black beard stood in the opening, grinning.

"Finnean! Finally!"

She hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his brow.

He smiled. "Are you going to let me in?"

She stepped aside and closed the door behind him.

"Well, well, well...never thought I'd see you in a dress again."

"Well, I can hardly walk up to that guy wearing my normal clothes, can I. He'd get a bit suspicious, wouldn't he."

Finnean nodded. "And of course, the most important rule; always blend in, never stand out."

Calandra smiled. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yes. My armour is ready and tomorrow the mighty Pavel will enter the ring, causing all to shudder with fear for the mighty one before them. They will step down in fear of their life and the victory shall be ours."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I hope so. You won't stand a chance against those warriors tomorrow. If they don't step aside...you'll probably die..."

He pulled her close to him. "Don't worry, my love. We're doing what we do best. When has one of our plans ever failed? Tomorrow we will be rich. All I want you to do is have the horses ready in time."

She sighed. "Alright. I believe in you. I trust you."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

He touched the necklace around her neck. A leather band with a silver emblem. A gift he had given her years ago.

"...You are leaving?" she asked when he pulled away from her.

"Yes, I have some business to attend to first. But you'll see me at the tournament tomorrow."

He stepped outside again.

"It'll be fine." He said before closing the door.

Calandra nodded. After all, they had always succeeded in their plans. No one had ever caught them yet.

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**That was my first chapter. I hope to get some reviews on it. And i'll post the second one soon enough!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** What I forgot to mention in the first chapter is that I wrote this story as a bkacground for one of my D&D characters. My DM wanted us to give our characters a history and this turned out to be the one for mine.

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**Chapter two**

"You, boy! Aren't you done yet? Why aren't you off home."

Ahro looked up. "M-me?"

The innkeeper nodded. "I thought the table for the tournament had been closed hours ago. Why are you still hanging around?"

Ahro shrugged. "I don't know...nothing much to go home to, I suppose."

"Or are you hoping to see someone?" the landlord said with a wink. "I can see your face, lad. But it's too late at night now. She went up to her room hours ago."

Ahro looked up. "She's here? I mean...never mind."

The landlord grinned as he wiped the countertop of the bar. Ahro looked down at his feet.

"Goodnight, sir." He spoke softly.

The landlord nodded and hummed a little tune. Ahro stepped out the door and closed his eyes as the cold cut through his cloak and clothes.

He looked up at the wall and looked at all the windows. He wondered what room she could be in. Was she asleep? Or perhaps she was too worried about tomorrow. She _had_ deposited a large sum of money. How could she sleep with that much at risk.

Nobody ever won a bet from Sharkface...that's why he always promised to pay out tripple the sum he owed if anyone dared to bet against him and won. But it's hard to beat someone at his own game. And no one ever could.

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Calandra woke up and looked at the ceiling. This would be the day that she would finally get away with this scheme. 

It had taken her and Finnean a long time to set up. First, someone had told her about a man who would tripple the money if she could win a bet from him. She had visited the tavern to make sure the rumour was true.

Then she had told Finnean about it. He was her friend and partner in crime. They had investigated sir Pavel's history and had made sure Finnean could immitate him perfectly. But Finnean was a thief, not a fighter.

They'd had to make sure that Pavel was someone no one would want to go up against. So they had gone round spreading more tales about the man, each more fantastic than the other. And then they had waited for a tournament to be organised.

They had decided that traveling together would be risky, so they had each traveled to Jabol on their own. They could not afford to be seen together or their plan could have failed. And now, after all that time of preperation and training, they were ready.

They had stolen money, only small sums, here and there. All adding up to the total. And now they would end this scheme with a bang, a scheme like no other. But still she was worried. So much could go wrong.

She got up and dressed herself, putting on a dress with dislike. A dress was something she loated. To her it represented having to behave like a proper girl. Having to listen to others, telling you what to do. It was so impractital too.

On the other hand it was a very handy tool, too. No nobleman had ever suspected poor little her. For what girl could do any harm anyway? Wearing a dress meant that people thought she was harmless. But that was when she could sneak a hand into a pocket and steal a golden watch or a pouch.

She took her cloak and examined herself in the mirror. A finger traced the scar in her neck. It was something that bothered her. She didn't think herself very pretty and the scar made it worse.

Luckily she only needed Finnean.

She went downstairs and entered the tavern. The landlord greeted her friendly and she bobbed a curtsy as was the custom.

She sat down and listened to the noise outside. The sound of a tournament to come.

"Here you go, miss." The landlord said as he set a plate on the table. "Breakfast is on the house."

Calandra smiled and thanked him, nodding her head. These people were too nice to her. She looked into the distance. In her head she could hear the people talk.

"_Did you hear? Someone pretended to be sir Pavel at the tournament!"_

"_What? Why?"_

"_So they could scare the other contestants out of trying for the prize money. They also betted against Sharkface and won because nobody dared to fight sir Pavel!"_

"_...it was all a fraud?"_

Oh, victory would be sweet. To finally be able to live in wealth. Of at least in some place better than where she usually lived.

She got up and made to leave the tavern.

"You'll be watching the tournament today, miss?"

Calandra gave him her sweetest smile. "I wouldn't want to miss an exciting day like this."

The landlord nodded. "Indeed, indeed. And I would think the bet would add to the excitement of the day."

She bobbed another curtsy and left the tavern. It was much less cold outside then it had been the day before, but still she had to shiver. She felt uneasy without her bow and quiver on her back. She had always had them with her, ever since she had first picked them up. They were her means of protection and without them she felt quite vulnerable.

She looked around and saw the stalls and the stands that were now being put up in the market place, to turn it into the tournament grounds.

She listened to the excited whispers that were going round.

"Did you hear? Sir Pavel is competing!"

"They say he's the best fighter in all of the known lands! No one has ever defeated him."

"Ha! I think it's all just a lie. Why would a man so strong and well-known as sir Pavel compete against such unworthy adversaries? That would be bad form, something that doesn't fit in with the way of the knight."

Calandra looked up. It was a tall and bearded man who spoke. If he did not believe Pavel was real, then perhaps he was not alone. Perhaps some of the other fighters wouldn't believe it either and still want to match their strenght against him...

'Please...Eleonora...guard him. Protect Finnean.'

She took a few breaths to calm herself. The man who didn't believe Pavel was competing was laughing loudly. She looked at him and wanted to take revenge on him, not because it would make any difference, but to vent her own unease in the only way she could do right now.

She stumbled forward and tripped over her own feet, falling into the man.

"Oh, sir! I beg your pardon sir."

The man helped her up and she averted her eyes, curtsying quickly.

The man laughed. "A young lady! How can I help thee, young miss."

Calandra pried deep in her own memories, making her eyes tear slightly. "I- I, a boy...he, he pushed me. I- He took my purse! Whatever should I do!"

She cried a bit more and managed to produce a few tears, that slowly rolled down her cheek. The man was immediately sorry for his jolly response and she could see he was charmed by her appearance and that he also now had a concerned look in his eyes.

"Pray, who did this?"

She pointed into the crowd. "A boy...he...I can't see him anymore. Oh my!"

She threw herself against his chest and sobbed.

"Calm down, young miss. The guards are sure to find him."

Calandra continued sobbing as her hand sneaked into his pocket and closed around a leather skin. She let it slide into her sleeve and stopped her sobs.

"Oh, I beg your aprdon sir. I don't know what came over me."

She wiped her face with her other sleeve and slowly pulled away from him.

"I am ever so sorry." She said with yet another curtsy. "Pray, forgive me."

She turned around and walked away slowly. A smile took shape on her face as she felt the heavy weight of the leater money pouch in her hand.

A sudden restlessness in the crowd caught her attention. From the centre of the marketplace sounded the blow of a horn.

"Hear ye, hear ye! By the command of Beldír, mayor of Jabol, the tournament will now commence! All competitors must assemble in the market place to prepare."

A chill went down Calandra's spine. This was it. She wrestled her way through the crowd and found her way into a little alley. She looked to both sides of the street before pulling a piece of rope from around her waist.

She realised she had forgotten to take anything heavy with her and, with slight reluctance, tied the heavy money pouch she had just stolen to one end of it. She tossed it high into the air and it caught behind the ledge of an open window.

She pulled it down hard to make sure it was secure and then climbed up it. Once she had reached the open window, she stood on the windowsill and pulled herself up on the roof. From here she had a good view of the arena.

In her mind she kept going over the plan. First Finnean would enter the arena. Then, after all opponents had given up, he would accept the prize and he would give a speach they had prepared together.

Then she would go to Writath and claim her own winnings and then they would leave town very quickly to meet up in a small village near the city. Their master would be there too and she was looking forward to seeing him again. He was the only kind of father she had known as a little girl.

She looked at the arena where a new bout was about to begin.

"Sir Cardon versus sir Pavel!"

A shudder went through the crowd. A knight entered the arena with a full plate armour. She squinted to get a better look at him. It was a rather plain full plate armour, she realised. A loud cheer went through the audience.

"Sir Cardon versus sir Pavel!" the announcer cried again.

An unpleasent churning rose in Calandra's stomach. Where was Finnean?

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Ahro looked at the arena anxiously. The rumours about sir Pavel had called a lot of people to the tournament. But now... 

He felt uneasy. He was the one who had signed up sir Pavel. What if he had simply misunderstood the man's name because miss Robin had mentioned sir Pavel that night? But no, he was certain that there had been a man who had called himself sir Pavel.

"Calling sir Pavel to the arena!"

Ahro had to get up. He climbed to the back of the seats and motioned a boy to come closer.

"You, have you checked the safe? Go!"

The boy nodded and hurried off. He saw a satisfied grin spread over Writath's face a few seats away.

"Last call for sir Pavel! If he does not come forward then this fight will be considered forfeit and the victory will go to sir Cardon! Last call for sir Pavel!"

The crowd began to whisper.

"Ahro!" Ahro turned around and saw the boy he had just sent to the inn. "The money! The gold! It's gone! We've been robbed!"

The entire crowd turned around and looked at the boy.

Writath turned around too and he smiled to his friends. "Well, well! Sir Pavel did not come. It seems that our young lady lost her bet. And her gold was stolen too. Well, well...a shame of that pretty face, really."

His friends grinned. "But what about your money, Writath? How will you get your money from her?"

Ahro turned around and jumped down the stands, running straight towards the inn. He had to warn miss Robin. Writath would hunt her down and make her pay her share one way or the other. If she didn't have the money to repay him then he would think of another way to make her pay.

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**AN:** **Well, no reviews so far. I had been hoping for at least one, to be honest. But I will continue bravely :D**

**Please do review if you read this, please no flames, but that doesn't mean that I can't accept good criticism. If you have an opinion you would like to share with me about this story, be it good or bad, then please do so. But I do want to say now that, if you do not like it for some reason, please TELL me what it is you don't like and perhaps I can make my story better by changing it. But flames without any decent explanation or founded criticism will be ignored ;)**

**Love, raven55**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

"Last call for sir Pavel!"

Calandra started to worry. Finnean wasn't going to show up...but what would he do instead? Suddenly she knew.

She jumped back down on the windowsill and slid down the rope. Leaving the pouch of money behind was against her instinct, but there was no way she could get it to come loose and a shout from the arena confirmed her suspicion that she had to hurry.

"We've been robbed!"

"Finnean." She cursed breathlessly.

Suddenly the name that had always been wholesome to her had become nothing more than a filthy swear word. The backstabbing bastard had stolen the money and left without her.

He had left her behind.

She felt a sharp stab in her heart as she ran towards the inn. She had always been together with Finnean. They hadn't parted since her sixth summer. She had never betrayed him and never dreamed of doing so.

But now, at the age of twenty-one, Finnean had turned on her.

She burst through the door of the inn and whispered a thanks to her deity that the landlord wasn't there.

'Stupid.' She thought. 'He did not even lock the door. A haven for thieves.'

She ran up the stairs and into her room. She had to go. After the tournament the people would come back to the tavern to collect their winnings and so would Writath.

She shuddered. In her mind she could almost feel his sharp teeth tearing at her skin. Or perhaps worse...He would chase her and find her and he would find a way to make her pay her debt. But how...

The beginnings of a plan began to take shape in the back of her mind as she threw her things into her dufflebag. She slid her set of lockpicks in her pocket and threw her cloak around her shoulders.

Her heart stopped when she heard someone knock on her door.

"Miss Robin! Please, are you there?"

Calandra cast an anxious look towards the door. She could not risk to open it and be caught now. She took the rope from around her waist again and tied it to the windowsill. She swung her dufflebag over her shoulder and slid down the rope.

She landed on her feet and quickly ran towards the stables. There she took her favourite lockpick and moved towards the door. Nervously she dropped her tool. With trembling fingers she picked it up again and pried the doors open.

She didn't waste time with picking out a horse but just grabbed the first one and jumped on its back.

"Sorry, no time for a saddle, boy. Go!" She whispered.

As she raced through the streets of Jabol she faintly noticed a pair of grey eyes staring at her from the window of her room at the tavern. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her eyes and kept her face hidden in its shadows.

She ignored the pain in her heart and the tears that burned behind her eyes. She would get her revenge. Finnean wouldn't get away with this betrayal so easily.

Calandra urged her horse on and rode north, the way they had planned to escape anyway. If Writath realy wanted to find her then he would have to spend a lot of time and money to do so. And in the mean time she would have the chance to try and get some money in her pouch to pay him back in full.

Calandra urged her horse to run less and less. The sun was already setting and she knew she wouldn't reach the village she was heading for before tomorrow. She took the time to look around her properly.

The landscape had changed from dry and barren to green fields and she could see the rim of a forest ahead of her. Calandra halted and tied her horse to a tree.

In the middle of nowhere and all alone, that was how she felt. She didn't know exactly where she was, she had lost her bearings doing all that hurrying and racing to get away from Jabol. But perhaps this was good. If she didn't know where she was then chances were neither did Writath.

She sank to the ground and leaned against the tree. From her dufflebag she pulled a piece of bread and started to chew on it. She longed for a nice meal, a pheasant or a roast...

She pulled her cloak a little tighter around her.

Tomorrow she would reach the village and after that she would head for the capital, Marek. There she woudl try her luck again.

But the exhaustion of the day took hold of her now and she fell asleep with only the horse as her guard and friend.

* * *

The morning that followed woke Calandra with a rainstorm. She felt her cloak stick to her frame heavy and cold. Patiently she waited for the storm to pass, hiding under the tree. Somewhere inside her she felt sad that the horse had no shelter. She stroked his haed and whispered to him softly.

When the dark clouds had finally passed, forest animals slowly emerged from their hiding places. Calandra whispered a prayer of gratitude and carefully reached into her bag. She pulled a bow and quiver from its depths.

With a feeling of relief she slid the quiver on her back. It felt like seeing an old friend again. She took an arrow and then took aim for one of the rabbits that had appeared after the rain. But before she released the arrow from her bow, she put it back in her quiver again.

What use was a dead coney when there was no dry wood to roast it on?

She sighed and swung her bag on her back, squashing the quiver and bow against her backbone.

She looked at the horse. "Come on, Silta. Let's go."

Silta. She had thought of that name during the long wait for the rain to stop. She had thought it was rather sad to have to travel on a nameless horse, never able to call it anything but its species. She was rather proud of the name, she liked it and it made her smile.

But at the same time she felt a strange sensation. This smile had been one of the very little real smiles she had ever smiled. Normally it was just an act, a role to play.

She stroked Silta's nose and then climbed on his back. Softly nudging Silta in his sides, she urged him to move again. She rode through the forest and was relieved to notice that she slowly started to recognise where she was again.

Not too far ahead there would be the village where she was headed and she knew there were soft beds and a warm hearth that waited for her there. Once she'd reach that, she would continue to think of her plan that was now taking a more solid shape every minute.

"We'll get Writath off our backs soon enough, Silta. And Finnean...we will see about him too."

Silta whinneyed solftly.

When the tower of the small church came in sight over the top of the village walls, Calandra felt an uneasiness inside her, something that made her feel like she couldn't go on much longer now that she was so close.

The people in the streets gave her strange looks, but she understood that. She looked like a drowned cat. Her dress was heavy and her cloak stuck to her thin frame. Her hair was plastered to her head like an auburn helmet.

She jumped down from the horse's back and looked around. She headed for the inn and looked up at the sign.

'The Silver Lute.'

She stepped inside and embraced the warmth like she had done two nights ago in Jabol.

"Good day! Good day!" said a cheerful voice from the other side of the room.

She smiled. "Tehk! Tehk, dear Tehk."

She ran forward as fast as her skirts allowed her. When he closed her in his arms she finally couldn't hold her tears back anymore and let them stream down her face like she had wanted to do for the last two days.

Tehk hadn't expected to see her like this. "Calandra? Why are you crying? Where's Finnean?"

He could feel the young girl in his arms stiffen. She pulled away and dried her eyes with her sleeve as good as she could.

"Finnean...the thief." She spat. "He left me! He left me with Sharkface breathing down my neck for his money while he made off with all the gold!"

Tehk didn't seem to understand. "...No...Finnean?"

"He never showed up at the arena. He must've stolen the gold during the night. He left me, Tehk! He betrayed me!"

"Calandra...calm yourself. You are tired from your journey, that's why you're talking like this, saying these things...I'm sure Finnean will come here in a day or two." Tehk said, trying to calm her down. "He has never broken a promise before."

"He broke this one." She hissed with as much controlled hate and dislike as she could muster.

Tehk laid an arm around her.

"Finnean will come." He said reassuringly. "Now come, I've readied your room. Try to get some sleep."

Only now did Calandra feel exactly how tired she was. She nodded slowly and yawned.

"Tehk? Will you take care of Silta?"

"Your horse? I will get it to the stables, but first I will get you up to your room."

Calandra allowed the older man to guide her up the stairs and into her room.

"Goodnight." He said as he closed the door behind him.

As he walked back down to the tavern he wondered about everything he had just heard. It sounded so unreal. He had known both Finnean and Calandra since their childhood.

Both had been eager students. They had been enthousiastic, strong of will and loyal. And this story Calandra had told him collided too much with the picture of Finnean he had settled in his mind. Shaking his head worriedly, he sat down near the hearth.

"So I see you calmed her down a bit." A voice said from the darkness beside him.

Tehk's eyes narrowed. "How _dare_ you show up like this. You left your partner on her own, you betrayed your own family! You never do that, it is the most important rule of all!"

A laugh. "I thought that was 'always blend in, never stand out.' Besides, Calandra isn't family."

"Yes she is." Tehk hissed angrily.

In one swift movement he let a dagger slide down his sleeve, caught it in his hand and pressed it against Finnean's throat.

"You fool. I taught you everything and this is your repayment? You insult and betray your own partner and throw away all I ever tried to teach you. Of course Calandra is family. You two have lived together since the age of six and you two have been partners ever since. When you come to learn from me, you become part of the family. And I even though Calandra meant more to you than just a partner and family."

Finnean smirked. He silently let a similar dagger slide into his hand and quickly pressed it against Tehk's throat.

"I know every move you do, Tehk. You showed me everything. But you are old and you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I, on the other hand, learned a couple of new ones. So don't try to outsmart me, old man. The time that you could keep me under control has long passed."

Suddenly something shot past his ear, causing his eyes to open with shock.

"Let him go." A voice demanded from the bottom two steps of the stairs.

Finnean didn't move.

"For Eleonora's sake, Finnean! You know how good my aim is!"

"Drop the blade, Finnean." Tehk said, putting a little extra pressure on his own.

Knowing he was outnumbered he let his dagger drop to the floor. Tehk nodded and slid his knife back up his sleeve. He looked at Calandra and eyes her with caution.

Her eyes glowed with anger and hurt. He should not leave her alone with Finnean now, she would probably do something foolish. She always did in situations like this.

This was where she would fail in a test and yet she was one of the best students he had ever had. Apart from Finnean, he had to admit grudgingly. Yet no one could pick pockets like Calandra could, nor could they fight with a bow or sword the way she could. And he felt pride swell in his chest that she had flourshed so well in his teachings.

But he knew that all of those things couldn't prevent or stop the talk that his two students would have to face right now. He sighed and retreated to a dark corner of the room, leaving them to themselves.

* * *

* * *

**Nahaa! I actually got reviews! I feel loved :D**

**Olga de Bont:** heey, bedankt over dat verkeerd spellen van 'of'. Ik heb het meteen veranderd. Het leuke van dit verhaal is dat je het spel niet hoeft te kennen om het verhaal te kunnen volgen omdat de personages allemaal origineel en van mij zijn. De wereld waar ze in rond lopen ook. Het is een soort lotr wereld, maar dan net niet helemaal ;) Het spel is meer een basis om dit verhaal op te kunnen zetten. Verder hoef je er niets voor te kennen. T is meer een avontuurlijk bedoeld verhaal.

**Grayangle:** I know it doesn't sound really special just yet. I hope it gets more exciting for readers to read, but it's hard for me to judge. It's also meant as the history of my D&D character, so that's kinda the base I built the story on. But please continue reading and reviewing, because it means a lot to me! Thanks!

**Love, Raven55**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

"Please do not point that thing at me." Finnean said. "It's not nice."

"Like you'd know." She spat. "You don't know the meaning of the word 'nice'."

"Lan...please stop being angry with me, it doesn't suit you well. It's not like you."

She let out an aggrivated cry. "Not like me? How would you be able to tell! If you really knew me you'd be white as snow and looking for an exit right now! If you knew me at all then you- you'd be pissing yourself! That's how pissed off I feel! Don't you even have the decency to tell me _why_ you did what you did?"

Finnean shrugged. "Calm _down_, my love."

Calandra felt the tears burn once more. He would calm her down with his voice, he always did. But even though she felt the anger inside her settle slowly, she did now want to forgive him so easily. She shook her head and raised her weapon again.

"Tell me." She ordered.

Finnean acted like he didn't care. He sat down as if she had just offfered him a pint of mead.

"I...When I had left you that night, I began to think about the plan. We could have failed so easily. Only one man would have had to stand up, wanting to measure his strenght against the great sir Pavel and all would have been lost. No gold and I could have died! No amount of prayer could tell me otherwise."

He hid his face in his hands.

"Lan...I was scared...I was afraid to die."

Calandra lowered her bow. "So you just upped and left? With the gold from the safe? You didn't think of me at all. You could have told me and taken me with you. Now I had to run from Writath's men. He sent some boy up to my room immediately."

"I thought that...if I just didn't show up, you'd lose the money. But if I stole it, then I could give it to you. I was afraid they'd blame you for stealing it if you had disappeared the same time as the gold had done. Lan, I came back here didn't I?"

He took her hands and looked at her.

"Calandra, I would _never_ leave you behind."

She sighed. "Finnean...I thought you had betrayed me."

"I _love_ you. I thought I would await your return here. Don't be mad at Tehk, he didn't know I was here either."

Calandra sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I- I am sorry. Please forgive me. I should not have thought so badly of you so soon."

He kissed her brow and smiled. "It's alright. As long as you forgive me. I didn't realise what my doings would cause...If I had known..."

Tehk watched them from his corner. A sense of unease settled in him. He felt that something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed. He stood up, his cloak swishing behind him. Without saying a word he went up to his room.

Calandra didn't notice.

"What do you want to do know? There must have been more gold in the safe than just what we betted."

"A lot more."

"And now? Should we go back home? Or perhaps somewhere else..."

"Back home? Is that what you would want? People know us there. They will never trust us, not when we return from a journey and suddenly posses the wealth that they can only dream of."

"Then it is settled." Calandra said firmly. "We must go somewhere else."

Finnean yawned. "Let's talk about this in the morning. It's much too late now."

"Yeah...We need to go to sleep."

She stood up and walked up the stairs, followed closely by Finnean.

"Goodnight." He whispered.

* * *

A feeling of happiness and rest had calmed her, mind and body. She did not feel tense at all anymore. Finnean had not betrayed her, he had explained everything. They would go and live somewhere together and then they would begin a new life.

Maybe she would even be able to teach herself not to steal anymore, she thought with a smirk. She would miss it, of course. It would be hard to quit old habits. But she would learn eventually.

The sunlight warmed her face and she opened her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Calandra turned around and looked at the empty spot beside her. Her restful feeling immediately left her again. She jumped up and looked around wildly.

His bag, his clothes, everything was gone. A scream of rage escaped her lips. She threw a pillow at the wall.

She had let him fool her again. He had left and betrayed her _again_. Last night had all been a show, a false pretence. He had lied to her, just to get her off his back. And though it was painful, she had to admit that she had let him succeed. Next time they would meet, he wouldn't get off this easily. She would make sure to let him feel the pain she felt now.

But who knew when the next time would be? She didn't know where he had gone and she didn't have a clue about it either.

Furiously she packed her bag. Suddenly she noticed a strange golden bracelet around her wrist. She tore it off and threw it out the window. If Finnean thought he could soften her with a trinket then he had a lot to learn.

Hoisting the dufflebag on her back, she burst through the door and thrust a silver coin on the counter down in the tavern. It would pay for the bed and the stable.

She looked at Silta and was about to climb on his back when she noticed the horse beside him. It was a fat horse, obviously one that came from a good and wealthy home. The sadle looked comfortable and the leads were smooth.

A man who could afford a sadle like that could easily afford another, she said to herself. She untied it and then fastened it to Silta's back instead.

"Come on, boy." She whispered. "Here we go again."

She climbed on Silta's back and urged him out the door.

"Miss! Miss!" a voice called out behind her.

She turned around and felt her heart stop. She recognised this boy's face. It was the same person who had followed her to her room in Jabol. Were Writath's men already following her? And how had they known she was here?

She urged Silta on even more. If what she thought was true then she could not allow herself to lose more time. She would have to continue onwards to Marek an settle there.

Even if Writath followed her there, he would not find her. She could blend in easily and Marek was a very big place. She thanked all the deities she could think of that she knew Marek so well. It could end up to be the most important knowledge she had.

Behind her she heard hooves. She was being followed! She looked back and saw it was only one horse, but still she urged Silta to go faster.

She made a sharp right turn and headed into the forest. She shot between the trees, making Silta dance and take paths that were hardly visible. His manes started to glitter with sweat as his movements started to become more wooden.

Calandra looked behind her when she reached a clearing between the trees and was relieved to find she couldn't see anyone. She halted Silta and listened closely. But apart from her heavy heartbeat, the forest was quiet. Her shadow was gone.

She sighed with relief, patting Silta's neck and whispering nice words to him.

Suddenly she sat up straight. Even Silta, who was tired with all this twisting and turning, pointed his ears. She listened even closer and looked around shiftily.

She took the leashes in a tight grip, ready to trample the first man to emerge from the shadows of the trees. Suddenly she heard someone stumble through the bushes behind her. She whipped the leashes and Silta reared in panick.

Calandra screamed and tried to hold herself up by pulling at the leashes, but Silta whinneyed and she let go as a reflex, frightened to hurt him. She fell on her back and a black flash shot before her eyes as she hit the ground.

She could hear Silta's hooves moving away from the clearing, but then she felt herself slipping away. She fought to stay concious and suddenly felt a cold hand on her forehead.

She gasped and the darkness in front of her eyes enveloped her.

* * *

Calandra moaned as she woke and suddenly felt her back hurt. She raised her hand to her head, trying to make the spinning sensation that made her feel so nauseous stop.

Where was she? And what had happened? She stoped moving when a twig snapped close to her. No, it wasn't a twig...it was the sound of a fire. But who had made a fire?

There was only one answer she could think of, lying on the ground with her eyes closed and afraid to move. She had fallen off Silta's back and now she had been taken captive by Writath. Or at least by his men.

She could't help wondering if they had already cut off a limb she didn't know about yet. It surprised her that she could hear so little noise. She had expected more noise if she really was Writath's prisoner and doubt began to crawl inside her mind.

Carefully she opened her eyes. It was night and the only light came from the campfire she had heard. Its dancing flames created strange shadows, but those hadn't scared her since the first forest exercise Tehk had ever given her.

She tried to see how many people sat at the fire, but she could only distinguish one silhouette. She sat up straight, half expecting a guard to knock her back down. But no one did.

The person at the fire looked up when he heard her moan in pain as she stood up. He was silent, but a smile took shape around his mouth.

She looked back and noticed there had been a pillow for her head to rest on. Who took this good care of his captives? Especially not a cruel man like Writath. Something was wrong with the whole situation and she couldn't understand it at all.

Out of habit, she reached into her sleeve. Her dagger was still there. This puzzled her even more. What kind of man took a prisoner without disarming them completely?

"Who- who are you?" she asked, gripping her dagger tightly.

She held it out in front of her, taking a defensive stance. She couldn't see his face because it was hidden by the darkness of the night, and this bothered her. She wanted to see her oponant.

"Come." He said softly. "Come and sit at the fire. I'm glad you're awake."

She didn't move. "Who do you work for? Writath?"

The other laughed. "No! Certainly not. Now come, sit."

Calandra slowly moved closer. The flames lit up his contours and revealed a young face.

"You!" she cried surprised. "You! You've been following me since Jabol!"

"I-" he seemed embarrassed.

"Why?"

"Well...I- When you placed your bet..."

Suddenly something fell into place in the back of her mind. "Hey...I- I know you. You're the boy who took the bets."

He blushed. "Yes...that's me."

"You had a funny name...Arrow, wasn't it?"

"Ahro."

"Oh..." she sat down, still tightly gripping her dagger, but she no longer pointed it straight at the boy.

He pushed a tray with some meat on it towards her. "Here, eat. It'll do you good. "

She took it eagerly and muttered a thank you before she started to satisfy her hunger. Ahro watched her from a distance. She ignored him until she had eaten the meat. Silently he passed her a jug with some water in it. She took two or three sips and gave it back.

"...Thank you." She said.

Ahro drank from the jug. She studied him. He was young, he probably hadn't seen the end of eighteen summers yet. His face hadn't a single blemish on it and he had an attitude about him as if he had never been away from a city longer than a day.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked as she used the tip of her dagger to clean her nails.

He seemed to blush again, but in this dark she couldn't tell for sure.

"...I had heard that all the betted money had been stolen..and Writath was gloating, I wanted to warn you."

"He'll chase me till he finds me. Then he will kill me if I'm lucky." She said calmly.

Ahro looked at her with surprise. How could she talk about her own fate so calmly? Her life was at stake and yet she appeared not to care.

"But when I left the city in such haste...didn't that make you think that perhaps I already knew about the danger and about my fate? Didn't you think I knew how to handle this by myself?"

"I-...er...I wanted to help..." he muttered miserably.

She laughed, her voice ringing clearly through the trees.

She was right to. He hadn't given that a single moment's thought. He had just wanted to go after her to warn her. But perhaps it would have been better if he had just staid home.

"Dear boy..._help_ me? I owe you thanks for taking care of me but I wouldn't have needed that help if you hadn't followed me in the first place."

She stood up and looked around.

"Which way is Jabol?"

Ahro pointed dully.

Suddenly Calandra heard a horse. Tied to a tree near the fire, she could see Silta. She ran towards him and hugged him. On his back was the saddle she had stolen.

Her weapons and her dufflebag were at the foot of the tree. She rummaged through it and found a pair of trousers.

She looked back at the fire. "Go home, Ahro. I ride alone. My path is too dangerous for a city boy."

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* * *

**Woohoo! Even more reviews And positive ones too ;) aren't I the lucky one! **

**Greyangle:** Hey thank you for the nice review. Can you tell me what you meant by stock D&D gimmicks? Anyway, this entire story was meant as one big character build up for calandra. So I'm glad you like it so far. And Finnean was at arrow point because she had come down again and suddenly seen the one (she thought) had betrayed her threatening her master. I'd be pretty pissed off at a sight like that too, you know. Anyway, happy to know you like it so far

**Olga de Bont:** hehe, i should certainly hope that it turns out to be complicated for the readers out there! That's my goal ;) En leuk dat jullie de oude muziek weer eens gespeeld hebben. Ik was ook gevraagd, net als pepijn, bob en marleen, maar ik kon niet zo maar een woensdag middag eventjes heen en weer van leiden naar wageningen en terug.

**Kar-Vermin:** Ooh, a new reader! I'm happy to know I caught another one's attention. I hope you like my story so far and that you'll continue reading it!

**Thank you all three for reading my story. Please keep doing it and please do keep reviewing! Thank you!**

**Love, Raven55**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

* * *

"What?" 

"I said go home. Go back to Jabol."

He struggled to his feet. "But-"

"Listen, Writath wants me dead at the moment. You know that. Why risk your own life? You have nothing to do with me, you don't know me."

She disappeared between the trees.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"Stay there! Don't come any closer!" she ordered him from behind the trees.

He sat down dutifully, but muttered to himself darkly. After a few minutes she appeared again. She had changed into her trousers and a shirt and she was carrying her dress in her arms. She folded it neatly and stuffed it into her dufflebag, which increased in volume immediately.

Ahro watched her as she continued to put on a studded leather armour.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Never you mind." She said as she fastened her dufflebag to Silta's sadle. "My plans don't include you."

Ahro jumped up and went to his own horse. He fastened his sadle and looked back at Calandra defyingly.

"I'll follow you anywway. You won't be able to go anywhere without me following you. You're stuck with me."

Calandra let out a loud sigh. "_Why_ are you so persistant?"

"I only want to help."

"Even at the cost of your own life? Don't you have a family? A mother and a father or a brother waiting for your return? Perhaps a young bride waiting for you at the altar?"

He shook his head. "No. My family died long ago and I have no home to go to. And as for a bride...look at me. I'm penniless, a manservant. I have no real profession or anything worth mentioning to my name. What kind of girl would want to marry me."

Calandra jumped on Silta's back and looked at him thoughtfully.

"...So you are alone? Not running away from anything...just alone?"

He nodded. She felt a shadow grow inside her. She was alone too. Abandoned by her love, betrayed twice like some gullible woman. Scorned.

She had never felt this alone before and this boy here showed all of those feelings just by standing there, looking back at her. She could see in his eyes that he felt just like she did.

"So...will you let me travel with you?"

"...No."

She whipped Silta into action and disappeared in between the trees. Ahro cursed and mounted his own horse and followed her quickly.

Calandra rode as fast as she could. Looking back every so often she noticed she was shaking him off slowly. And after a while she felt had been able to lose him. Immediately she felt more relieved. She didn't want a city boy like him with her. He'd slow her down and be in her way.

She set out towards Marek now that she could travel more relaxed. She rode on till the sun had gone down, wanting to reach her destination as soon as possible. She continued through the night, not taking a moment to rest.

When the sun had come up again, she found her way down a main road. She looked back again, now more out of habit than out of anything else, just to make absolutely sure she had really shaken Ahro off.

She halted near a couple of rocks at the side of the road. She tied Silta to a rock and pulled out a piece of cloth and some nearly stale bread so she could eat. Her stomach was grumbling.

When she had rested for a while she wanted to pack everything back up again, but then she heard the sound of hooves and a carriage. She looked down the road and squinted her eyes. In the distance she could see a caravan coming down to meet her.

She sat down on a rock and waited for them to pass her. She would be safer if she could persuade them to let her travel with them. When they passed she called out to them and they halted.

"Please, kind sir." she said in her loveliest voice. "I'm afraid I got lost and here I am, all alone. I was hoping you'd let me travel with you."

The man jumped down from his cart. "Join us? My dear young lady. I'm afraid I can't let you join us. I am under strict orders from my boss not to let anyone join. Seeing as how bandit raids have increased so much lately."

"Oh my!" she said, making sure she gasped like a shocked young girl ought to have gasped.

"Yes! Even lovely young ladies like yourself can be bandits nowadays. There's no telling who you can or can't trust anymore."

Another man jumped down from the cart.

"Oi, Thain! Can't we take a break? The lads could use some lunch."

The first man hesitated, but then nodded and smiled. "Right then. I hope you don't mind us keeping you company during our lunch."

Calandra smiled. "Oh no! Not at all. At last I will be able to talk to people again. I've been traveling on my own for days and it was frightfully quiet and boring without anyone to talk to."

The men opened a big basket and pulled out meat and wine. They sat down in the grass and passed it all on to each other. Calandra enjoyed the lazy sunny weather and talked to the men if they sat next to her.

She allowed some to put an arm around her and blushed like she knew she ought to, but only endured it so she could sneak a hand into their pockets. Every time her hand closed around another pouch or trinket she felt wonderful.

When the men started to pack the remnants of the lunch, she pouted and waved at the cart for a long while after it had gone. When it was far out of sight, she eagerly returned to Silta.

From the depths of her sleeve and pockets she produced a fair amount of money and valueables. She laid them out on a piece of cloth and looked at it. It was no where near the amount of money she owed Writath, but at least it was a start.

She sighed and wanted to throw it all into her saddlebags when she heard someone in the bushes near her.

She took her bow and arrow and listened closely to detect where the person was exactly. She took aim and waited for the right moment. When she let the arrow fly, she knew it wouldn't hit him. It would only scare him out of his wits to have an arrow pierce itself into a tree right before his nose.

'Foolish boy.' She thought as she heard Ahro's voice shreak.

"Come out, you idiot. I could have killed you if I had wanted to. You just thank your deity on your bare knees that I knew it was you."

Ahro came out, shaking and pale. He handed her back the arrow and sat down quietly. Calandra chuckled, but her laugh got stuck in her throat as he pointed at her newly aqcuired treasure.

"...You're a _thief_, aren't you..." he said slowly.

She found herself nodding. No one had ever called her that, even though she knew very well that she was exactly that. A thief and nothing more. She pushed past him and stuffed it in her sadlebag.

"You _are_..." Ahro repeated breathlessly.

She ignored him and jumped back on Silta's back. "I told you to go home."

"And I said I would follow you wherever you went." He answered calmly.

She rolled her eyes and trotted towards the road. Ahro let out a tired sigh, also jumped back on his horse and followed her closely in a steady pace.

"Wait! Miss Robin, please."

Suddenly she halted.

"...You're not going to go home, are you." She said as she turned to face him.

He looked back at her with determination.

"Very well then." She sighed. "It's better to travel _with_ someone than to have him follow you the entire time."

Ahro smiled broadly. Calandra just turned around and rode on. Ahro steered his horse to her side. After a while he started to look bored.

"...Where are we going?"

"Marek." She said without looking at him.

In her mind she was somewhere else. She was sharpening the edges of her plan, but Finnaen kept creeping into her thoughts too, distracting her and confusing her. Though having Ahro at her side was distracting too, and not only, she felt, because he was constantly asking her questions.

"Why? What are you going to do there?"

"Miss?"

She sighed. "Ahro...please stop calling me 'miss'. It makes me feel nervous."

"Oh...sorry m- Sorry."

They continued in silence for a while again. Ahro looked at her from time to time. She looked angry at something but he couldn't tell at what. As if it was something she was thinking about.

He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he didn't dare. She had this air about her as if she was in a trance and that, if he would break it, she would lash out at him.

He looked back out in front of him and pondered about what he was doing. He was on the road with a woman he hardly knew. They were on the run from someone and he was far away from the only city he had ever called home.

Yet he didn't mind and he wanted to be nowhere else. He felt slightly faint every time he looked at her. Perhaps he was ill. He looked at her again and she was still in a deep pensive state.

He noticed suddenly how much weaponry she carried with her. She had a quiver and a bow on her back, a sword hung from her belt and he suspected she had a dagger in each of her boots. He wouldn't be surprised if she had one or two of those up her sleeve too.

Suddenly he felt quite vulnerable with only a dagger and his crossbow. He had been an easy victim for robbers the entire time and he hadn't even thought about it.

He let out a nervous chuckle. This startled Calandra and she snapped out of her trance.

"What?" she asked irritably.

He looked at his horse. "N-Nothing. I just-"

"Hush." She said suddenly, raising her hand.

She craned her neck and listened carefully to the silence.

"I don't-" he started, but she hissed again.

He watched her hand slowly crawl down to her boot. Nervously he pulled his dagger from his belt.

"Who's there!" she called.

Ahro couldn't help noticing how her stance had changed, changing the way she looked too. She looked almost like some sort of magical creature, proud and still. Her hair fluttered around her head like a flame and she had a determined air about her.

The thought she might actually _be_ some sort of magical creature lingered in his mind for only a second.

"Who's there!" She repeated.

"Friend or foe." Ahro added, feeling the need to show bravery.

But as soon as the words had escaped his lips he knew how stupid and rediculous they sounded. An embarrassed blush crept to his cheeks.

A chuckle rose from the bushes and three men revealed themselves.

"Easy does it." One of them said with a smirk as Ahro's horse whinneyed and started to take a few nervous steps back.

"Yeah. We only wants a bit of yer money. So hand over whatever gold yeh have and we'll leave you two youngsters be." Said the second one.

Ahro looked at Calandra. She didn't look frightened or nervous. Her face was emotionless.

'She's measuring them up!' It shot through him.

"Well, let's have it then!" The first man said impatiently.

Calandra looked at him with a sort of superiority that could bring most men to their knees. This time it worked too. The two who had spoken shuffled back and muttered to each other.

Calandra ignored them and looked at the third, who was staring back at her calmly. It was obvious to her that he was their leader. But why a man like him would want to employ men like that was a mystery to her.

The leader looked back at her without blinking.

"Let us pass and I shall not harm you and your men." She said.

* * *

* * *

**Well, I'm sorry it took me so long to update. But with my midterms and all i just forgot...**

**Kar-Vermin:** I am very happy with your review. You might think that I might have been slightly annoyed or insulted by what you wrote, but I want to tell you that this has actually been the first review EVER to give me good and useable advice! I've never been more happy and grateful with a piece of review than I was with yours. I'm glad you think Calandra comes across like a real person. But I'm also glad about what you said about contracting the sentences and all. I kinda thought the same thing myself, but after you said it, I realised it REALLY needed changing. And about my spellcheck...it's not working and I don't know how to get it to work. So I have to do it all myself and to be quite honest, I miss a lot of things. And sometimes I plainly just don't know the proper spelling. But thank you for your honest but very useful review :D

**Grayangle:** Don't worry, she'll encounter Finnean :D She needs to get her own bacl, doesn't she. Calandra is a strong-willed person. She won't let this rest before she can show him she doesn't need him to get by. She'll want to do _something_ to make sure he sees she doesn't need him anymore. You'll see what happens in a while ;) But I can't promise that there will be any sharp objects but her whip and tongue innvolved in it :D Thanks for the review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

The man didn't respond.

"I have no wish to fight you, but if you insist on this robberry then I will have no other choice."

Ahro couldn't help noticing how calm and superior she appeared. She sounded like someone from a higher social class and he was sure she was trying to catch them off guard.

"I am not afraid to fight." The leader said calmly.

"If that is your wish then so be it."

Before anyone knew what was happening, one of the others, who had been crouching behind their leader, screamed out in pain.

The other two turned around and looked at their comrade. He was clutching his hand and writhed on the ground like a snake and his cries echoed between the trees. Blood trickled down slowly from where Calandra's dagger had pierced his palm.

She used the distraction to jump down from her horse and draw her sword. She flourished it dangerously as she attacked the second man head on. He reached down for his sword but let out a yelp as hers came down on his hand with the flat side.

She made a swift blow towards his head but he dodged it. Behind her she could hear the leader speading up to charge.

"Ahro! Shoot him!" she yelled.

Ahro started. It hadn't occured to him that he was involved in this fight. It had all just passed before his eyes like a strange dream.

He fumbled for his bolt pouch, but his trembling hands betrayed him and he dropped it. He reached down and grabbed it again.

Calandra kicked her opponent in the stomach and thrust her blade between the ribs of the man behind her.

"Ahro!" she yelled again.

She watched the leader fall to his knees and cough. A speck of blood landed on her face.

She turned quickly to face the last of her attackers still standing. He went pale and dropped his sword with trembling hands. Then he turned around and ran, leaving his wounded comrade to suffer on his own.

Calandra breathed heavily and took a minute to catch her breath. Then she wiped her sword on the grass and slid it back in its sheath.

She walked over to the whimpering robber. "If I help you, you will leave us alone. Got that?"

He nodded. She she tore a piece of fabric from his shirt and pushed it in his mouth. The she wrapped her hand around the hilt of the dagger that still protruded from his hand.

With one strong jerk she pulled the dagger from the wound. She ignored his stifled cries and wiped the blade on the grass and then slid it down the side of her boot again.

Then she took the cloth and wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding. He whimpered thankfully but she ignored it.

She pulled him up and pushed him towards the road.

"Go to an inn or something." She said harsly.

Ahro watched the man run away and he stared at Calandra with a mixture of respect and surprise.

"...I-"

"You could have helped me." She snapped.

"I- I wanted to, but..."

He showed her his bolt pouch reluctantly. It was empty.

"You idiot!" She yelled. 'You complete moron! You always make sure you've got enough bolts or arrows before you leave town! Every little kid knows that! Well, perhaps _you_ wouldn't. You're nothing more than a useless city boy, on the look-out for adventure."

He muttered something. He felt very small now that he was suddenly facing her anger. She watched him shudder and felt disgusted. What kind of man shuddered and trembled like that?

'He's still only a boy.' She thought to herself.

_She_ was use to life like this, but he knew nothing about it. She sighed.

"Right, never mind. Next town we'll find a weaponshop and buy you some new ones."

She looked at the dead man on the ground. She kneeled next to him and whispered a prayer. It seemed so unfair that he, the leader, was the one who had died. A man who fought for his living, but a man with honour. Not like the other two, who had abandonned the battlefield as soon as there was an opportunity for it.

Ahro stepped closer and waited until Calandra was done. To his big surprise he saw a tear fall down her face.

"Why are you praying for him?" Ahro asked quietly.

She looked up.

"He deserves to rest now." She answered back just as quietly. "He was a brave man, not afraid to fight for his cause, even if it was just a plain robbery. You can tell if someone is prepared to die for what he knows and this man was. I hope that, if I die by someone else's sword, that they will pay me the same respect. That I have earned that respect."

She turned back to the dead man one last time and bowed her head. Then her fingers found their way to his belt where they unclasped it. She threw it to Ahro.

"Put that on. Next time were attacked you'll be able to defend yourself."

Ahro obeyed and clasped the belt around his waist. His hands touched the leather sheath and the handle of the sword that rested there. He looked at it with an uneasiness that brought despair to Calandra's face.

"You _do_ know how to use a sword?"

He nodded slowly. Of course he did. Everyone did. But to use the sword of a man who had been treated with such respect after his death mere seconds ago felt strange.

"I do." He said. "It's just...strange to fight with the weapon of a man who just died. It feels like we're stealing from his grave."

Calandra laughed. "Ahro, he had no use for that weapon now. And besides, you make stealing sound as if it's a bad thing."

"Well, it is..." he said quietly.

Another laugh. 'You'd better get used to it. Because you'll be doing a lot more of it if you stick with me."

He looked up. "Is that why we're going to Marek? To steal?"

"In a way it is. I heard a rumour about a big treasure on its way to Marek. We steal the treasure before it reaches the city, pay Writath what I owe and we keep the rest."

She mounted her horse again. Ahro walked back to his own horse and mounted as well. He didn't say anything. He was on the road with a thief, a female thief. Suddenly something started to dawn in the back of his mind.

If this woman could fight like this, if she could plan like this and if she could carry this life with so much confidence then why would she have made such a foolish bet back in Jabol?

There had probably been a plan behind all of that.

"Mi- Robin, I mean?"

She didn't look up.

"Robin?"

He trotted up next to her and lightly touched her arm.

"Robin?"

She looked up. "What is it?"

"I- err...where are we headed?"

"Marek, I told you."

"Yes, but aren't we going to make camp for the night?"

She sighed. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark."

"No! I'm not." He said hastily. "I just wondered, that's all."

She let a small smile take shape around her mouth. "...Yes. We'll stop to make camp."

Ahro nodded once and looked ahead again. Calandra looked at him, her smile growing wider and contenter.

"...Ahro...Call me Calandra."

He looked at her with surprise.

She smiled. "That's my _real_ name."

* * *

The fire cracked merrily. Calandra stared at Ahro, who was trying to build a construction they could use to roast meat on. He was a clumsy kind of boy, but he definitely meant well. 

For someone who was so opposed to stealing, he handled his situation pretty well.

He passed her some meat and she took it gratefully.

"I didn't know you could hunt." She said in between bites.

"Of course I can. How else am I supposed to survive out here?" he said as he sat down next to her.

"Sorry...I just assumed-" she started.

"You just assumed I couldn't hunt because I messed up the fight today. But there are a lot of things you don't know about me...and same goes for you, I guess."

He looked straight at her.

"You know I'm against stealing, but I know why you're doing it now. You have to get the money for Writath. But you're a professional thief, aren't you. I can tell by the way you handled the fight today and other things before that. So tell me. The whole bet against Writath wasn't all there was to it, was there?"

She looked down.

"What _was_ supposed to happen. Pavel never really intended to fight in the tournament, did he. It probably wasn't even the real Pavel to begin with."

"He...he was my friend." She whispered.

Ahro looked at her, biting his lip. He was surprised he had managed to get her to open up so soon. But he was eager to hear what she was going to say so he kept his tongue and listened.

"He was my friend and he betrayed me."

Ahro seemed disappointed at this. "Is that all? Because I have to know everything about this whole scam if I want to help you. I can't help if you leave me in the dark."

Calandra stood up and paced around the fire. Her hand rested on her forehead.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this." She whispered under her breath. "Yes...that's most of it. The plan was that all the other competitors would throw down their weapons and give up at the sight of our supposed sir Pavel. And then we would earn the prizemoney as well as the trippled bet."

"But then he didn't show up..." Ahro continued for her. "He had stolen the betting money and left you with all the problems..."

Calandra bit her lip. That was exactly what had happened. And she had openly admitted everything. Almost everything.

"Who was this guy to you...appart from your friend."

"He- I knew him since our childhood. Let's leave it at that. I'd rather not talk about it, okay?"

Ahro closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, not wanting to push her.

"Don't you have other friends?"

She sat down again and looked at the fire. "Just one other. He was my master, my teacher."

"I guess you and I are a bit more alike than you'd think." He said with a bitter smile. "Most people I know look at me as the young boy with no prospects. So they see me as part of the furniture, not someone to talk to."

She didn't say anything. She felt the air thicken between them. Somehow she felt relieved that she had told Ahro the truth about the scam. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart and that she could be a bit more at ease.

It surprised her that she didn't feel as lonely as she had expected, sitting in the dark. Ahro was better company than Finnean had ever been because he truly understood how she felt, what loneliness felt like.

A question jumped up in her mind. Something she had never really gotten an answer to.

"Ahro? Why did you follow me? I know you said because you wanted to help me. But still..."

Ahro's breath got stuck in his throat for a second. He really did not want to answer that question right now...Was she really asking him this? He looked at her and saw she was staring at the fire intently, not facing him.

He scooted a bit closer.

He stared at the fire and quickly pulled bakc his hand when it accidentally brushed over hers. He took a deep breath.

"...I'd rather not say..."

She turned her head and noticed he wasn't sure where to look. She couldn't help but smile. Not knowing quite why she was doing it, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"...You don't have to. I think I already know."

He hesitated when she said this, but crept his arm around her waist. She had been the one to make contact, right?

She smiled. "...How old are you, Ahro?"

"I'm eighteen. Why?"

"You do know I am three years older than you?"

"Does it matter?"

She let out a clear chuckle. "No, I suppose not."

She let his arm rest where he had placed it. It was warm and she gave in to the strange fuzzy feeling that started to spread through her body from her stomach.

The fire warmed her face and she allowed herself to doze off slowly. One more night and then she would be in Marek at last. Perhaps she would forget about the whole robbery. After all, she had seen no signs of Writath following her in any way. Maybe he had given up.

Inside her she carried the desire to give up stealing. Not that she didn't like it, she enjoyed it very much. But she wanted to know that she could earn a living in a different way, that she wasn't just bound to this single way.

It would be hard, of course, to give it up. Although stealing little trinkets was now more or less a force of habit, she delighted a lot in relieving others from their possesions.

And with all this trouble, this fiasco, behind her, she thought it would be best to forget her past. Perhaps also because she knew that it would somehow always remind her of Finnean and his betrayal.

Maybe doing something else with her life would mean a second chance to be happy. Maybe Writath had unknowingly marked the beginning of a second life for her when he had decided not to follow her.

As Ahro's head leaned down on hers she couldn't help but smile again. Maybe _he_ was the one who had marked this second chance.

She hadn't felt like this in a long time and it made her almost certain.

'A second chance for a thief.'

* * *

* * *

**Well, well, done with another chapter! And I keep getting really valuable advice!**

**Kar-Vermin: **I'm glad you like Calandra. She was the main character and that's why I tried to focus most on her and her emotions. After all, it needs to portray her past and how she became what she was going to be in my D&D game.

I understand exactly what you mean about Ahro, though. He's a difficult character to portray. I didn't really think out a proper reason for him to follow Calandra. I was content with saying that he followed because he had develloped something like an instant crush on her and that combined with his fear that something would happen to her if she wasn't warned about Writath. I'm sorry to say there's not much other reason behind it other than this. I just gave him too little thought and you are right when you say it shows. To me, while writing this story, he wasn't much more than a plot-device for Calandra and her adventure. You'll see what I mean in the end.

I'm truly flattered when you say that my story belongs to an elite few, there's hardly more praise a writer can have! And I'm also very glad that you think it was written with care (it was! I hate stories that come across as something that was just written out of boredom and therefore not thought out properly. So I always want my stories to be better than just that and I put a lot of time and thought into them because I want to make them good.)

I'm a little too lazy for the dictionary today ;) But I'm doing my best to spellcheck! Hope you liked this chapter!

**Grayangle:** Musings forgiven nn I liek to muse about stories myself, so that would make me guilty of the same crime :D I do think that Ahro develops himself in this story, though not nearly as much as Calandra does. As I admitted to Kar-Vermin; I gave him too little thought. But he does make a stand for himself in a way. You'll see what I mean when the time comes. Glad you're still reading!

**I'll just keep my updates coming. I'm very happy with the response I'm getting and there's no way I'd start posting a story just to quit halfway through. So untill the next chapter!**

**Love, Raven55**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

"So this is Marek." He stated as they halted before the city gates.

She nodded.

"What happens when we enter?"

"I don't know. First we'll go to inn. Then we'll see."

She knocked on the door and a small shutter opened, revealing the slighty bloodshot eyes of the gate guard.

"Whaddya want?" he snarled.

"We want to enter the city." She replied.

He looked at them and measured them up. After a moment of silence he moved again.

"Just a minute." He said as he closed the shutter.

They heard some hushed arguing behind the door.

"Grab your dagger and be ready to draw your sword." She warned quietly. "I don't trust him."

Ahro nodded determined and tightened his grip on the handle of his sword. The door swung open and the man's expression had changed from annoyed to friendly.

"Welcome to Marek, young man, young lady."

Calandra gave him a friendly nod and passed through. But Ahro could see her friendliness just masked her tension. Had the guard watched more closely he would have seen it too.

Suddenly he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Alarmed he wanted to call out to Calandra, but she had already been closed in by the two other guards. He didn't wait for her signal this time, but let his dagger slide into his hand and pressed it against his attacker's stomach.

Calandra had taken her own dagger and dove away from the other two. She threw it at their feet, making them jump back surprised. Her hands grabbed her bow from her back and an arrow from her quiver.

She pointed it at one of the guards. Ahro used the confusion she had created to slip away and he joined Calandra at her side. He didn't know the way in this city and he hoped she could guide them out of this mess.

She didn't take her eyes off the guards and whispered something to him under her breath.

"Straight on, first left, second left. The crossed bolts."

He took a second to understand what she had said. The first bit he could understand. But what she had meant by the last bit...did she want him to take out his crossbow?

He glanced at the guards and then ran in the other direction as fast as he could. He ran straight into the coridor and turned the first left. He heard a groan behind him but he didn't look back to see what had happened.

He turned the second left and wished he had not left Calandra to handle this on her own. He had promised himself to preotect her, to take care of her. That was what had started all of this. But somehow he always ended up the one being saved.

He slowed down. Where to now? He had done what she had said, but what she wanted him to do now was a mystery to him.

A door swung open and a rather rough looking man stormed outside, a sturdy dwarf under his arm. They started to fight in the middle of the street. Ahro glanced up a the sign above the door and a wry smile formed on his face.

'The Crossed Bolts'

Calandra had meant an inn.

He entered, feeling obviously out of place. It seemed to him that everyone was eyeing him. Gingerly he went up to the bar and ordered a pint. The man behind the counter handed it to him silently and Ahro shoved two coins over the counter.

Slowly the inn went back to the ususal low rumble of noise. Ahro sighed relieved.

Suddenly he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder for the second time that day. He turned around and stared into the face of a tall man. His black hair cast a shadow over his face.

"New?"

Ahro nodded.

"We don't like strangers in here...who told you about this place, why did you come in. This doesn't seem like your type of tavern..."

A man on his left side laughed. "Look at 'is face. A real young ci'y boy, tha' is."

The black haired man silenced him by raising his hand. "Like we said. This isn't your type of place. This isn't the kind of pub young lads like you should go to. Your face...no scars, no signs of ever having been in a fight...aren't we too rough a crowd for you?"

"I just came-" Ahro tried.

"Came for what? A friendly drink? To share a pint with some of us locals?" the man said airily, earning him some laughs from the other drinkers.

"Actually I'm waiting for someone, if you must know." He replied in a stronger voice.

He wasn't going to be the underdog this time. Not anymore. The man laughed.

"Waiting?" he said. "For what? A contractor? A mercenary? Or perhaps a lady friend."

"That's right." Came a female voice from the dooropening.

Everyone looked up to see her push her way through the crowd.

"Thanks for waiting." She added to Ahro as she managed to find an empty space next to him.

She looked at the counter and ordered a pint of mead.

"Hello Lan." The man with the black beard said.

She looked at him with an icy glare. "Hello Finnean."

"Haven't seen you in a while. Everything alright?"

She looked up at him from her drink.

"Why, how sweet of you to ask me that. You almost sound as if you were worried." She said sarcastically. "And there Ii was thinking you didn't really care what happened to me. I guess I misunderstood you when you just upped and left me with all the dirty work. But perhaps to you it is a way of showing affections when you leave and _betray_ your partner!"

The inn went silent. You didn't hear a lot of this. Betrayal under thieves wasn't uncommon, but to see it out in the open like this was something you didn't get to see very often.

"Or perhaps you just forgot I was there too." She continued. "You tell me."

"...I thought your wrath would have packed more of a punch. Are you losing your touch, sweetheart?" he replied with a smirk.

Another heavy silence filled the room. Somewhere in the back an old toothless gnome started to laugh. The rest followed gingerly. Finnean and Calandra joined in too, but their eyes stayed cold and tense.

Suddenly Finnean's head snapped up. "Oi, Thodor! Give these two a glass of that special brew of yours."

Soon two brownish glasses were passed on to them. Ahro looked at it hesitantly and sniffed it carefully. But Calandra raised her glass and drank it all in one swig, as did Finnean.

They slammed their glasses back on the table and stared at each other with the same coldness as before.

"So what brings you here?" he asked.

"I could ask you just the same. But what guarantees me an honest answer?"

He laughed bitterly. "Well, what _are_ you doing here?"

"Just trying to get on with my life. _Maybe shrug off a few of Writath's men._"

"Lan, I know I should just give you your share. But I can't. It's not all there anymore. You know I've always been a good spender."

She snorted. "Only you've never been able to spend anything because you never _had_ anything to spend. And now you finally had something you've gone and blown it all?"

"...Lost it more like...well, most of it. I think I'm getting the hang of betting more and more."

She groaned. "You didn't...tell me you didn't..."

He grinned apologetically. "I didn't lose it all, the biggest part is...invested, as you might call it. In my future."

She looked down, not able to look at his face after this. He had to admit he was feeling a_ bit_ guilty seeing her like this. The young boy next top her tried to look tough as he had to fight to keep his place near her.

Finnean grinned. What a hopeless city bred person.

"Listen, I do have some gold left I can give you."

Ahro looked up at Calandra. Would she accept it? It would solve her troubles. It would solve everything right away, he knew that. But he felt that, if she did accept this, she would somehow be bound to this man again. It would take her away from him.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at her questioningly. She shook her head slowly. Reaching down into her pocket she found a few silver coins and she threw them om the table.

"No thanks. You can't buy me, Finnean. I don't want your money or anything else from you."

She pulled at the necklace around her neck until the band snapped.

"There. I don't need any of this anymore. Get it? No golden bracelets or stupid necklaces to make up for your treachery because what you do is unforgivable. People will soon see through you if you keep on doing things the way you do now. Don't count on your charms to save you from your mistakes for ever, because people aren't blind."

She stood up.

"I have my own plan to get the money I need. This is my problem and I'll solve it my way."

She turned around briskly feeling very satisfied as a look of surprise washed over Finnean's face. Ahro followed her. He had been silent the entire time because he could feel the tension of the situation. This was more than just a little arguement about a failed plan.

Finnean followed them. "Stop! Lan, you can't be serious! Listen, I'm sorry for what I did before, even though I know you don't believe me. You've got every right not to, but please listen. Writath knows you're here."

She snapped back. "You think I didn't know? They ambushed us when we entered the city. How _did_ they know where to find me? Because _you_ told them, _didn't you_."

He looked at loss for words for a moment. "Look, they caught me, okay? I payed them what they wanted but that wasn't enough for them. I couldn't just walk away, they wanted to know more and they forced me into saying something."

"You betrayed family! You betrayed me to them! I'll bet you'd betray your own master if you could save your mangy skin with it."

"I'd never betray Tehk!"

"Well it's great to know that he means more to you than I apparently ever did."

They stood across from each other, their eyes gleaming with anger.

"I thought you were smarter than to come back here." He hissed. "That's why I sent them here. You know you should've disappeared."

"I intended to do that _here_." She hissed back.

"For Eleonora's sake, Lan. How should I have known?"

"This is as good as my home!" she yelled exasperatedly.

There was a silence. Calandra turned away.

"I'll solve my problems myself. Come on, Ahro. Let's find a place we can stay."

Ahro followed obediently.

"Wait! You'll solve it yourself?"

"I don't need you anymore Finn."

He laughed bitterly.

"Don't you? Will City-boy here help you? The boy can't even hold a sword properly. Or is he just there for 'company'."

She froze in her steps. Without turning around she spoke to him.

"He is there for everything. He is better company than any of you thieves. And you know why? Because I know he'd never betray me for gold."

She walked away, ignoring Finnean's pleas and his taunts. Ahro looked from her to Finnean and back. He moved to follow Calandra, but Finnean grabbed his arm firmly.

"So this is my competitor...my successor."

"Don't comepare me to _you_. I'm nothing like you." Ahro hissed as he pulled his arm away from Finnean's grip.

Finnean laughed. 'You're right there...and what makes you think she could care for boy who's so different from the man she has loved all her life?"

Finnean turned away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Ahro sent him an angry glare and turned to catch up with Calandra, who was waiting for him outside a bakery down the road.

"What did he want?" she asked.

Ahro shrugged the question off and suggested to go look for some lodgings. He followed Calandra through the narrow corridors. His hands slid into his pockets as he wandered behind her.

To his surprise he could feel somehting in his pocket. A piece of paper. He unfolded it when he was sure Calandra wouldn't look back and read it.

'The Crossed Bolts. Tonight.'

He didn't have to think long about whou could have written this. But why would Finnean want to meet him there...

* * *

* * *

**Again it took me a very long time to update and I appologise for that. Buys, busy, busy, you know**

**Kar-vermin:** I have two dictionaries here by my side as I type this :) I've been looking up some words like you advised me to do and i must admit that it feels good to be sure about the spelling of a word like 'mangy'. I've also managed to get me a beta-reader, but she's reading a different story at the moment, a Harry Potter one, so she's been set to do a different task. But it is very handy to have someone to discuss grammar and stuff with.

**Greyangle: **I'm glad you think the characters are lovable :D It's really hard to create believable characters of your own, that's why I stuck to fanfiction about harry potter and final fantasy for such a long time. But knowing that people out there actually appreciate my own creations is a very satisfiable thought. And don't call yourself a lowly reader, because what woul any piece of fiction be without readers? It's worthless if no one reads it and espescially if no one cares about it. Well, you know what I mean. I'm happy with your reviews :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight**

He waited until he was sure Calandra was alseep. Then he crawled out of his bed and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders. Making his way out the door, he made sure the hood completely covered his face.

He embraced the cold midnight air with hesitation. Why was he meeting Finnean? What was the meaning of all this?

Their conversation had been far from nice, so why did Finnean suddenly insist on this meeting? He was certain it couldn't be for a few friendly pints of mead while comparing notes.

He reached the door of the inn and was surprised to see it was still open.

'Still.' He thought. 'Thieves _are _fond of shadows, so it shouldn't be surprising they love the night too.'

He went inside and saw Finnean's dark head at the far end of the room. He sat down with him.

"What do you want." He said bossily.

Finnean laughed. "Cheer up a bit. I invited you here as a friend."

"A friend" Ahro rolled his eyes. "What a laugh. You didn't exactly roll out the welcome-mat for me today and now you want me to believe you when you call me a friend?"

Finnean let out a sigh. "I may not know you, but there is one thing we have in common and I intend to protect her. I don't want her to be harmed. As much as she doesn't want to believe it herself, I really do care and I don't want to see her hurt...or dead."

Ahro looked at Finnean. The man did seem to be honest.

"Then what _do_ you want?" he asked.

"I know she won't accept my money. But she'll accept it from you."

Ahro gave him a surprised look.

"I thought that she could not care for me because I am so different from you." He said quietly. "So why would she accept my gold? And besides that I have nothing I can offer her and she knows that."

Finnean looked at him with a mixture of anger and seriousness. "I only said that this afternoon because-...I miss her and I want her back, even though I know that will never happen. Jealousy never was a virtue, okay? But all that doesn't matter right now. We have to do something to help Lan, whether she wants it or not. You don't have to pay her the money. I want you to take mine."

He threw Ahro a pouch.

"It's all there. 5250 pieces of gold. Tripple what she owes. Now listen to me. She won't accept it from either of us, headstrong as she is. But her plan won't work, she'll only get herself into more trouble if she goes through with it."

"How would you know what she's planning." Ahro said, slowly reaching for the pouch.

Finnean chuckled. "I was trained by the same mentor. We have been taught by the same master. I've known her almost all my life. That makes you think and feel the same. And listen the same too. I hear what she hears. We're _trained_ to be in tune to each other like that."

He leaned back, a more serious expression on his face.

"But robbing the diamond transport won't work. There are too many soldiers out there to guard it. I'd do it myself if there weren't as many of them. But they would catch me in no time. And if I gave the money to Writath myself they'd only capture me again and that would solve even less. No, what I want you to do is this..."

* * *

The sun rose and entered the bedroom through the window. Calandra woke and smiled softly. Today would be the day. She turned around and woke Ahro. He blinked and stretched out.

"Come on." She said. "We need to move today, or we won't have time enough to lay out an ambush."

She got up and washed her face with the water from a pitcher in the corner of the room. Ahro looked out the window, thinking about the meeting he'd had. It felt so strange that he doubted it had even been real. But when he got dressed and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, the weight of the money reminded him it was true.

"Calandra...are you sure we shouLd do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...it _is_ the treasure of the king. It'll be heavily guarded, won't it?"

Calandra laughed. "Of course it will! But don't forget who you're with. I was trained for this sort of thing. Even Finnean would consider doing a job like this."

Ahro looked into her eyes and discovered a sort of reckless thirst for adventure in them that scared him.

She didn't care how many men would guard this treasure. As long as she had a chance at stealing it, she would try.

"Don't you care for your own safety?" he asked, taking her hand. "You might die or get thrown into prison. Doesn't that frighten you at all?"

She threw her head back. "Fright? Scared? What fun or excitement is there in life when you let something like fright tell you how to live. We'll all die some day. I want to live my life with adventure and excitement, otherwise life would be hardly any different from death."

She turned around and buckled up her boots.

"All...all I fear..." she said, suddenly more quiet. "All I fear is that I'll die without getting paid the respect all humans deserve. Prison is just something I can get out of, or a place I can hide to avoid running into people who have scores left to settle. No, prison does not scare me anymore, Ahro. Nor does death itself."

He turned away. "Well they scare me. I don't want you to die."

She laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "You don't have to be scared. It would be foolish to fear for my life if I do not fear for it myself."

"If...if I could give you the money...would you forget about the treasure?"

She laughed again. "Where would you get such money. You're not the son of a rich nobleman, are you?"

He hung his head. "No..."

"Let me do this. I'll get Writath off our backs and we'll have something to see us through the winter."

Ahro gave up. He would not be able to make her see the danger of this folly. He followed her silently and continued his silence as they ate breakfast, bought supplies and mounted their horses. Calandra, absorbed in her plan, didn't notice.

In his mind, Ahro could see the plan failing, over and over again. The transport would be so heavily guared that you'd think the king himself was in there. Calandra would try to make of with a wagon full of treasure and she'd be caught. Perhaps even shot.

He shuddered as an arrow pierced her chest in his thoughts.

"No!"

Calandra was startled and looked at him, a dagger in her hand.

"What?" she asked alarmed.

"N-nothing." He stuttered embarrassed.

She slid her dagger back up her sleeve and grunted aggravated. "Well, if it's nothing then don't shout like that."

She urged Silta to go a bit faster. She pointed at a tower over the treetops.

"That's a small comunity where monks live. It's south-east of Marek. Keep it in mind. If you need help, go there. It's called 'The Grey Monastery'. The people there are kind and will give you food and water and even a place to spend the night."

Ahro looked at where she was pointing and tried to keep in mind where it was.

"We'll go there tomorrow night. They'll allow us to rest there and they know a lot of healing methods as well."

Ahro licked his lips and took a breath. "Listen, the transport won't be here for another day. Then it will take us another day to get to the city. Can't we just watch the transport first? I'd feel a lot safer if we knew what we were dealing with before we jumped out. You know, just to evaluate the situation."

She sighed. "Alright! If that will make you less edgy. Besides...that's what I meant to do anyway. Don't forget I have done this before. You thought I was just going to jump out like an ordinary highwayrobber?"

"No...and I know you've done things like this before. But...never this big and never alone, right?"

She looked up surprised. "Alone?"

"Well, as good as. I'm just a city boy, remember. You used to have someone like Finnean at your side."

She ignored him and dismounted her horse, leading it into the bushes beside the road. With a sigh, Ahro followed her.

"You've got to admit that you're the one trained for this, not me."

She turned around. "The transport will pass this road. It's the only one leading into Marek from this side of the city. So, we'll make camp, wait for the transport to pass by and then we'll attack tomorrow."

"Very well."

"I'll make sure to give you the easy jobs. I _had_ planned to do this on my own, so now it'll be easier, I hope."

Ahro nodded. "Right. Well, I guess I'll go looking for some firewood."

Calandra nodded. "Good idea. I'll go and see if I can find something to eat. Try to get that fire started before dusk falls."

Ahro watched her take her bow and quiver. He waited until she had disappeared into the bushes before turning around briskly and jumping on his horse. He steared it towards the city immediately.

He felt like a traitor doing this, but he would not risk her life with this stupid plan of hers that was doomed to fail.

* * *

Calandra closed her eyes and listened. Beside her she could hear a soft breathing sound. It was definitely a small animal. Her hand tightened but she couldn't kill it from where she was sitting now. She would betray her presence with the slightest movement.

She waited for it to leave when she spotted a rabbit not too far away. She smiled and lifted her weapon slowly from the stone she had been resting it on.

The second she let the arrow go she knew it had been a hit. She jumped up and retrieved her prize. This would do for two people, she thought, remembering the two chunks of bread in her saddlebags.

She looked forward to a nice meal, a selfmade dinner always had more taste than anything you could get in an inn or a tavern. She pulled the arrow from the dead body and checked the iron tip. It was still good.

Feeling a lot more at ease than usual, she made her way back to the camp. It surprised her that she felt so at eas. Normally she would feel really nervous. But now she found herself almost humming a small tune as she walked through the trees.

When she reached the camp she laid the rabbit on a rock. She laid down her quiver and bow and loosened the straps of her boots. She looked around, expecting to see Ahro somewhere.

To her suprise, he was nowhere to be seen.

'Maybe he's still looking for wood...'

But she had expected the fire to be in a roaring blaze by now.

She looked at the tree where they had left the horses and found only Silta, alone in the shadows. She threw her knife down into the ground, realising Ahro was gone.

She bit her lip, making sure no curse escaped from her mouth. Her nails were digging into her skin as her hands clenched to fists involuntarily.

She had thought that this boy would be different fom the others. She had thought that he would never leave her. But now she understood that thinking like that could only satisfy dreamers. And a dreamer...that was something she would never be.

She ignored the burning feeling behind her eyes and marched away from the camp to gather firewood.

She roasted the rabbit above the flames with an emotionless expression on her face. She would wait for the transport and rob it herself.

She would become a rich woman soon and then all her troubles would be over.

* * *

* * *

**It took me a while to update. Had a few busy weeks. But I passed one of my midterms! Barely, but I passed! And I don't have any internet at home, so when I go there during the weekends there's no opportunity for me to update.**

**Kar-Vermin:** I'm really happy that you liked that last chapter so much! That dialog between Finn and Lan was so hard to write! I wanted it to be harsh and cold, hateful if possible, but I wanted to hide all that under a layer of something else. I hope that came across, but seeing as how you thought it to be 'top-notch', I suppose it did :) Hope this chapter was likable like the last one.

**Grayangle:** I'm one who compliments? You're the one giving me wonderful, complementing, reviews every chapter! And thank you so much for that :) It really feels good to have someone like your storywriting this much, enough to review every time. I hope this chapter worked up to your expectations!

**I say it every time and I never seem to be able to keep that promise, but I'll say it again: I'll try and update as soon as possible! Thanks you both for your wonderful reviewing and I'll see you at the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine**

He dismounted and handed the horse to the man at the door.

"Excuse me, could you take my horse to the stables?"

The man gave him a nasty look, but nodded. Ahro cast his eyes up to look at the sign.

"The Fat Dragon." He whispered.

This was the place Finnean had talked about. The pouch in his pocket started to feel heavier with every step he took. He had only a thief's word that the man would be here.

Suddenly he felt really stupid. He had left Calandra alone in the woods while he was here, searching for a man he knew only by face.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. The tavern was filled with men who obvioulsy had too much gold to spare. Their clothes just screamed out they were so expensive that it had taken a carriage full of gold to pay for them.

The men had decorated themselves with more jewels and golden ornaments than Ahro had ever hoped to see. How was he supposed to find Writath in a crowd like this?

He wrestled his way up to the bar and took a look around. His eyes glided over the crowd of fat men, wallowing in luxury and surrounded by their footmen. He was disgusted by this image, but then realised that he had been doing a similar job himself just a few days ago, waiting on people who had so much gold they could buy their own city.

Suddenly he noticed a group of men in a darker corner of the tavern. A large man, dressed in somewhat more sobre clothes than his friends, did most of the talking. Everyone around him laughed at every word he spoke.

Determined, Ahro stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir." He said in a clear voice.

The laughs died down and they gave him a curious, almost disgusted, look.

"'Ere...'o are you?" said one of the other men.

The man had a large scar running across his face, as if he had been slashed by a sword and had only just gotten away. Ahro looked at him and tried to copy Calandra's superior stare. The effect was somewhat lessened because he looked like a beggar to these people, but it still seemed to work.

"My name is not the issue here. Writath's, however, is. I have some business with thee, sir." He said, turning to face the man he knew from the inn back in Jabol.

Writath raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "What business could you have with me? Unless you have come to beg for money, I do not know what you could want with me."

"I have no need for your money." Ahro replied, feeling slightly annoyed by Writath's condescending tone of voice.

He had not come all this way just to be insulted.

"I have come to talk about a bet you made with a girl in Jabol. I do believe you've been searching for the young lady."

The smiles around the table disappeared and Writath suddenly grasped Ahro's wrists forcefully.

"You've been informed well, boy. Tell me...you know where she is? She owes me..."

Ahro swallowed difficultly. He suddenly wished he had never agreed to this plan. He was no match for a man like this, he had never dared to speak to anyone like this. Finnean had been trained to speak smoothly and knew how to keep his face straight in a situation like this. Finnean should have gone himself.

"I...er...I do, but-"

"Wonderful! Wonderful, lad. Well, come on. Out with it."

Slowly Ahro realised what Writath had wanted to find out with that question. He shook his head.

"N-no...no, I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. I came to you with different intentions."

Writath bit his lip and gave the others at the table a tiny nod. He stood up and placed a heavy hand on Ahro's shoulder. Ahro felt as if he was being driven into a corner, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment.

"Very well. Tell me about your business." Writath said calmly.

Ahro resentfully allowed Writath to stear him away from the table and out of the tavern. The walk through the city was far from comfortable. Ahro felt not only like he was being watched, but threatened as well. Somehow he would have preferred talking about this in the tavern than alone with Writath in the streets.

"So tell me, why did you search me out if not to tell me the young lady's whereabouts."

"I know she owes you a great sum of money. Five thousand and two hundred gold pieces."

Writath nodded. "That is indeed what I am owed. Has she been able to gather these funds?"

"...Not...not quite."

"Ah, so what are you? Her benefactor?"

Ahro forced himself not to let his face grow red. "...Something like that."

"Listen boy. I ran into her friend and he already directed me here...if you have not come to tell me where she is or to pay me the money then you should not have come."

They turned a corner and Ahro found himself facing a door. He tried to stay calm.

"Come inside." Writath said as he opened the door.

"I'd rather not." Ahro said forcefully. "I'll say what I have to say out here. I have the money you want."

Writath pretended not to hear him and shoved him inside. Before Ahro knew what was happening he had been pushed into a chair and was handed a richly decorated goblet made of silver.

"So you came to pay the bet after all." Writath said as he sat himself down in a comfortable chair across from Ahro. "Does the girl know this?"

Ahro took a sip from his drink and Writath gave him an intense stare.

"I'll take is she does not. Then where is she if you are here? Surely she must be searching for a way to raise the funds."

"She is." Ahro found himself saying before he knew it.

"Really...Interesting. You'll be going to let her know you've dealt with this problem, I suppose. If it's a long journey, then I will keep you no longer. You can pay me the gold now and I will let thee go so the two of you can be reunited as soon as possible."

Ahro looked up at this curious remark. Writath had a glint in his eyes that Ahro couldn't quite distinguish. Was it a playful remark or was there more to it?

Writath laughed at his curious glance. "I just assumed that you and the young lady...Well, you _did_ come al this way to pay her debt. Surely you must have strong feelings for her if you traveled so far and so long into a city you do not know for this kind of matter. At least that's what I assumed. And I, by no means, wish to keep two lovers apart too long."

"It's not that far..." Ahro said uncomfortably as he took another sip of his wine.

He let his hand slide into his pocket and tossed the heavy pouch onto the table.

"Here is your money."

Writath took the pouch and opened it, letting a small stream of coins slide through his fingers.

"The lady must be glad that she won't have to do anything drastic. And you must be pleased as well that she won't have to undertake something dangerous."

Ahro emptied his goblet and felt the alcohol had made him a bit drowsy already. This had been very strong wine.

"Indeed!" he suddenly cried.

He had delivered the money and now Calandra was safe. He felt triumphant that he had handled the situation properly and for once he felt like an equal to Calandra and Finnean.

"She planned to rob the diamond transport!"

Writath leaned back and carelessly tossed the money on the table again. "Really?"

"Yeah." Ahro continued, feeling he could let his guard down now the task had been completed. "She had plans to lay a trap along the southern road to Marek. I'm glad she won't have to go through with it."

"I can imagine." The sudden cold change in the sound of Writath's voice snapped Ahro awake from his relaxation.

He looked up and stared right at Writath's face. The look in the man's eyes was enough to rid Ahro of any drowsiness caused by the wine and in one fleating second he felt the alcohol leave his body.

Ahro gasped. "I-"

* * *

She looked up as the birds settled in a tree nearby. The fire had died out, but she didn't bother relighting it. The sun slowly rose above the tops of the trees and the light was spreading across the landscape. 

She had waited the entire night and nothing had come by. Not a single horseman had ridden past her hidingplace. She wasn't tired, she was used to nights like this. If she needed to, then she could wait for another two days and still be able to put up a good fight.

But it started to dawn on her that the transport hadn't taken the route she had expected it to take. Either that or it had been a false rumour...

She weighed two thoughts in her mind. Should she wait for the transport another day? It could have been delayed. Or should she just give up here and now.

It seemed to her that Ahro had been the smarter one of the two for once. But giving up so easily now was something she could not face. She was mentally too tired to make another plan.

She would wait in the vain hope that the transport had indeed been delayed.

"Please...Eleonora...Goddess..."

She did not even have the strength of mind to pray. She had forbidden herself to think of Ahro, but she couldn't help comparing him to Finnean.

She sighed and decided she had waited enough. No amount of diamonds was worth this solitude far from the city. If the transport had not come by now, then it was time for her to accept that it would not come at all.

'Perhaps it was all just a lie.' She thought miserably.

Perhaps the treasure did not exist. Perhaps the King's people had spread false rumours about it so that they would lead robbers like her astray.

With annoyance about all this wasted time, she got up regretfully and began to pack her bag. She sat down on a stone slab and clasped the straps of her boots. The urge to talk to the emptyness around her, just to hear some sound, was strong but she resisted.

'_He who talks to himself has lost himself.'_

She could hear Tehk's words ring in her mind.

'_Never lose your mind or yourself. They are the two most valueable possesions you'll ever have.'_

That's the way more than one good thief had found his end. And it's the way you can tell good and bad thieves apart.

'_Bad thieves often talk too much.'_ He had added cheerfully.

She smiled. Thad day had always been special in her mind. One of the most special days of her youth.

Never talk when no one else is around. One of the most prized lessons Tehk had ever taught her. She stood up and fastened her bracers around her wrists just a little tighter. She took one last look around, checking she had taken all her equipment with her.

"Well Silta, it looks like we really are on our own." She whispered gently, caressing her horse's nose.

She took Silta's leads and led him away from the campsite. Loneliness was perhaps the best company you could have, Calandra mused. If you never had any company, then you would never know what to miss if someone left you.

She spat on the ground.

'Ha.' She thought cooly, forcing a disgruntled look on her face. 'A good thief needs no company anyway. A good thief can work alone and keeps it that way. Company only gets in your way or slows you down.'

She spat again, finding it a highly effective way to vent her anger.

A sudden rustle of leaves and twigs next to her made her look up. Her hand reached down to the sheath on her belt, ready to draw her sword if neccesary.

"Good e'en, miss Robin." A smooth voice said behind her.

She whipped around and found herself staring at a face she knew only too well.

"...I-"

"You do remember who I am?"

"I...I am sorry I have not been able to pay you your money...I did not mean to neglect my payment."

Writath raised his hand. "No need for apologies. Your debt has been paid, ever penny."

She looked at him, unable to hide her surprise. She was certain that she hadn't paid herself. Who else would be able to pay it and who would have wanted to?

"...Pray...sir...might I know who it was that paid my debt?"

She chose her words carefully, not wanting to sound too polite and unsincere.

If there was one thing she did not want it was to offend a man like Writath in the middle of nowhere. In her mind she remembered her conversation with Finnean. He had wanted to give her the money...so perhaps...No, he had already paid his share and he would never pay more than he owed.

She suspected that the 'investment' he had mentioned was simply keeping himself out of harm's way by just paying up.

Writath, to her surprise, nodded friendly. He whistled softly and a soldier came from behind him, pushing another man forward while holding a shortbow in his other hand.

"I didn't want to scare you, so I told them to wait." Writath said simply.

Calandra frowned at the sight of the two new people that came walking towards her slowly. This was not at all what she had expected.

* * *

* * *

**As I write this I sip my beer and I think about how glad I am I decided to post this. It's really a nice feeling to be able to post this on the internet and know that people are reading it.**

**Grayangle:** Well, grayangle, Finnean's health isn't really hampered is it….yet Ahro's safety cannot be assured at the moment. You'll find out in due time, perhaps against your liking. But keep in mind that Ahro meant well by leaving Lan's side, even though she doesn't know it. (I Like Ahro, the poor sap. He's a bit of a wuss and yet……he has a certain charm, don't you think?)

**So what now? Calandra is going to face one heck of a weird situation in the next chapter. Just keep reading and reviewing and you'll find out ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

"What-?"

But Ahro didn't answer her unfinished question. He looked beaten, his former flawless face a mess. He coughed.

She looked at Writath.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"You wanted to see who released you from your debt and I simply showed him to you. Nothing more, dear girl." He said in a triumphant tone of voice.

"_You_ did that?" Calandra asked Ahro, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "But how...why? I thought you'd-"

She bit her lip. Ahro looked up at her only for a fleeting second with his fearfull eyes. He mouthed something to her but she couldn't understand what.

She wondered why he wasn't standing up, why he didn't move to her side.

"This boy kindly came to me with the money you owed in three-fold. Too bad that a little wine loosened his tongue as much as it did."

She didn't understand. Writath was speaking in riddles and Ahro kept staring at his hands from his place on the ground.

She stepped forward, wanting to pull him up, but the soldier coughed warningly. Her hand stopped in mid-air.

"It is a pity..." Writath said suddenly with a lazy voice. "It's a pity that you have such back luck choosing friends. Loyalty is never their strong point, is it. That Finnean fellow was only too pleased to tell me where you would be, and right he was too. I must admit I was surprised to see you had come to Marek. I had though Finnean would lie.I guess it was a good decision of mine to let him go unharmed..."

Calandra spat on the ground. "Don't mention his name to me. He's no longer my friend. The traitorous-"

"Ay, traitor would be the right word...for _all_ your friends."

She moved her arm slightly and unnoticable to let her dagger slide down into her hand. She had a feeling of unease and usually this feeling was right.

"This young lad here told us of your _daring_ plan to pay me back. Brave, I must admit. Not many young ladies would try to pull off such an endavour. He was very...eager to tell me how relieved he was that you didn't have to _rob the diamond transport'_"

She looked at Ahro, trying to make him look at her. He still had so much to learn. You never told anyone what you were planning. Never. Only those you trust, and even be wary of _them_.

Another one of Tehk's lessons echoed through her mind.

Writath laughed. "Ah yes... _rob the diamond transport_. He was very relieved you wouldn't have to go though with that. But I take it you didn't know he had gone to pay me, did you. I think you had no idea and that you carried out your plan anyway."

She shook her head slowly, trying to figure out where he was going with all of this, while gritting her teeth.

"Any determined young thief would continue with their plan. So-"

"No!" she said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. "I would have, but the transport never passed by. I would have gone through with it otherwise, yes. But it didn't come. It didn't come."

"You're trying to convince me that all your careful planning was for nothing? I have seen you at work with that Finnean. I find it really hard to believe that you would do something so foolish. Come, come now. I know you took your share from that caravan. You probably hid it somewhere in this forest."

"I am telling you the truth, it did not come!" She said more forcefully.

Writath picked his nails. "...Pity..."

Calandra tensed up. She could feel the atmosphere turn more hostile.

"I wanted to give you another chance to tell me the truth..."

"I did tell you the truth!" she said again harshly.

"I find deceit a grave sin, myself. And I came here to give you the opportunity to make up for the last stunt you pulled on me. But I feel you're still lying to me and that just won't do. The boy already told me one story and so far it has turned out to be true, all of it. Where you were and what you were planning. But now you say he lies when he says that you went through with your plan?"

She didn't know what to say.

"We all know that you are the kind of person who carries on till the end, someone who'll do everything to obtain her goal. And you must admit yourself that, coming from a thief, the words 'I tell the truth' are a bit more hard to believe than when a boy like he says those words." Writath continued.

Calandra bit her lip. This man would never believe her. She understood his reason all too well. After all, who _would_ trust a thief? Nothing she could say could make him believe her truth.

"So." Writath said, more matter-of-factly. "Just give me the diamonds you stole and I'll leave you be."

Calandra stepped back. "I told you before. I do not have any. I swear-"

"It has come to swearing? Dear me, a sign of desperation, I'm sure. And is desperation not also a sign of unease? Your honesty is far from credible and my patience is running out. You boy, up." He commanded.

Ahro stood up dutifully, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground.

"Ahro..." she said weakly.

Why was he listening to Writath? Had they beaten him so bad? Had they broken him in one night? He had been so strong willed before, stubbornly following her against her will. But now...

"Miss Robin. I _know_ you're lying to me and I do not thank you for it. Now either you give me the treasure or the boy dies."

Suddenly Calandra felt like the world was moving in slow-motion.

"Did you hear me?"

She could hear Writath's voice sounding vaguely distant.

She looked from him to Ahro who was still averting his eyes. It was a breaking sight, seeing him robbed from his own will like a ragdoll.

"I'm telling the truth...please...I beg you to believe me..." She tried to say.

But her mouth would not open and no sound came from her throat. To her horror she found she couldn't pull her eyes away from this sight either.

"No? Pity..."

Suddenly Ahro look up, his eyes shining vibrantly. He looked at her, begging her to say something, anything.

But before anything could get through to her she found herself screaming as Ahro's body went rigid. His head tilted backwards and his mouth opened to let out a gasp.

A little silver tip, sharp and glinting in the sunlight, protruded from his chest. She screamed again, but this time it was a scream of rage. Her hand shot forward, letting the dagger she had been holding fly towards Writath.

She reached for her sword and stormed forward. The blade whirled in her hands as it went through the man before her. Writath sank to his knees with a look of faint surprise. His mouth opened and let out a wonderous 'oh' as her sword sliced his skin below his already pierced heart.

She did not take the effort of looking at him. She did not hear his chortling breath as he fell to the ground, face down in the dusty sand. All she felt was rage.

The soldier stared at his master's corpse and looked at her with anger. He raised his shortbow and aimed at her, but before his fingers could release the arrow she had already pounced on him.

Her sword danced across his body until he had fallen to the ground. She was unable to stop herself and only managed to cast herself away from him when she was certain he was dead. But instead of praying for the fallen ones she fell to her knees, broken and cold.

She threw down her sword and cried. Never before had she really noticed the intricant, smell of blood that now so insistanly surrounded her. Never had she known such anger and rage during a fight and it scared her that she had experienced it now.

But what scared her more were her tears. She had been used to death, but it had always belonged to someone she didn't care for. And now...

She wiped away her tears and crawled over to Ahro's lifeless body. Another wave of tears filled her eyes. She turned him around and pulled the arrow from his back, taking a healing potion from her pocket and forcing it into his mouth eventhough she knew it was too late.

No magic could heal him.

She whispered a prayer for him and closed his eyes that were still opened with a look of surprise. Her tears fell down to meet his face below. When her whispers had died down, she picked him up into her arms. She would not leave him here for birds to pick clean.

He had been...too precious for a fate like that.

She looked at his face and closed her eyes. She pressed him to her chest, feeling how the warmth was leaving him. Silently she carried him to Silta and placed him on the horse's back.

He couldn't sit up in the saddle so his limp body leaned against Silta's neck, his face hidden in the horse's dark manes.

She took the leather leads in her hands and pulled Silta away from the dead corpses on the ground. She did not care for them and she did not pray for them either. A grim expression was fixed on her face. She found herself hoping that fiends or other animals in the woods would find the dead bodies and pick them clean.

Her feet moved on, always continuing. Her eyes remained on the ground. She tried to block out the smell of decay, but she couldn't and it made her nauseous.

She banned all emotions from her face, feeling cold inside. It was strange to feel like this. She knew she should be crying still, she knew that she was supposed to be unable to stop the tearflow.

But her eyes staid dry, no matter how much pain she felt inside. She stopped walking when the ground under her feet became more hardened. As she looked up, she saw she had reached the main road. In the distance she could see towers. Small, but not too far away.

She bit her lip and looked down the other end of the road. It was a long way to Marek and she didn't really want to return to that place now. She allowed her feet to move on and led Silta slowly towards the monastary.

In her mind she could see it happen over and over again. She shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to see it again. Not wating to feel that rage again.

She forced the memory from her mind and felt like a zombie as she walked on still.

A voice made her look up slowly. "Are you alright, my daughter?"

She looked at the face of a man, elderly and wearing a grey cowl. The man looked worried and backed away a step when her head rose to show him a face as cold as ice.

Her eyes frightened him, they were empty...glassy.

Not the slightest hint of emotion hid in their depths. She looked at him silenly as if she did not see him or his fellow travel companions.

The man looked at her horse with a mixture of hesitation and curiosity. He pulled her away carefully and she followed him dutifully, as if she had no will of her own.

Two of the other men moved to Silta and tried to wake the man on his back. Their gasp made the first man look up.

"He's dead, Father!" one of them shouted. "There's nothing we can do."

Suddenly Calandra began to shake. She was shaking so forcefully that she nearly knocked down the man who was supporting her.

"Father Elyon, we must do something. She is in shock!"

"Let us take them to the monastary." He conceded.

The monks hesitated. "...The man too?"

"Yes, yes! Of course...would you leave him behind for the fiends, unburried and without proper prayers? Shame on you all."

"Sorry Father...forgive us."

"Pardon us, Father."

Father Elyon nodded silently. He wondered what had happened to these people. A hand on his shoulder made him look up.

"...What unheavenly misfortune befell these people, Elyon..."

"I don't know, Jolyon...but all we can do now is pay the man respect according to our custom and give a bed and food to the girl."

"I shall ask Lord Elgare for advice. He'll know what to do."

Father Elyon nodded and followed Father Jolyon in their slow tread towards the monastery. He wondered what could have happened that the young woman had brought a corpse with her. He had seen her weaponry and he could guess what kind of profession she practiced.

But hunters and their sort burried their comrades themselves, if they burried them at all. He decided to talk to her as soon as she had been taken care of.

"And her friend too..." he muttered sadly.

* * *

**

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****I am very sorry for the delay in my posting, but I had an important mid-term to prepare for. It took me ages to get all that stuff in my head but now I've got some time to spare so I chose to update this already late story.**

**Well, we're nearing the end of Calandra's adventure. After this there will be only one more chapter. I feel so sorry for the girls, but hey! Life sucks and shit happens twice a day, doesn't it?**

**Grayangle: **I hope you liked this chapter! Well, to be honest about that soldier, it _was_ one of Writath's men, but he had a soldiers uniform on because Writath has his own personal guard as well. I just forgot to mention something like that. I hope you don't hate me for killing Ahro, as you called him a good addition to the story, but it had to happen for Calandra's personal growth. Remember that it is her life this story is about.

I hope to hear from you what you thought of this chapter and that you will check out the last chapter to come as well!

**Well, I'm off to continue writing one of my Final Fantasy VIII stories now. I've been working on it for ages, but now that I'm reaching the ending it gets harder and harder to get it to work! Oh well, thank god I haven't typed any of it yet. If I think of a dramatic change right now I can still change it in the writing itself. Otherwise I'd have to delete the whole lot and type it all over again. Can't say that's an appealing thought ;)**

**See you at the next chapter Grayangle!**

**Love, Raven55**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter eleven**

"My Lord...we found two people on our way here...One of them is dead, the other does not respond to us at all. She is in some sort of trance we cannot wake her from."

Lord Elgare slowly raised his head, lifting his eyes from his desk. "Have you offered her a bed?"

"Yes, my lord. And food and water too." Father Jolyon said, bowing his head. "I have sent someone to burry the man. He was beyond our help."

"Very well, you may go."

Father Joylon bowed again and left the room. He slowly walked through the corridors. The coming of this young girl had caused some worry among the monks of the monastery.

Some thought she had killed the man herself. Others thought she was a demon, because she was unable to speak in their presence. She had neither uttered a word nor moved since she had been brought in.

He halted when he met Father Elyon. "Has the girl spoken yet?"

Elyon shook his head. "No. Still not a single reaction. But...we took a look into her things to see if we could perhaps find a clue."

"What did you find?" Jolyon said curiously.

"We found some golden trinkets and money in her bag, along with more weaponry and some women's clothes."

"Give her some clothes from the monastery. There must be a cowl and a dress somewhere left by the nuns. They must have left _something_ behind we can spare." Jolyon said with determination. "We must help her feel at ease. Perhaps then she will speak to us."

Elyon nodded. "I'll send someone right away."

He excused himself and Jolyon watched him leave. He continued his own walk and only halted when he reached the small room they had put the girl in. He entered after knocking.

The room was dark and gloomy. He looked around and sat down in the only chair before he looked at the girl who was sitting on her bed.

'Like a statue...' he thought surprised.

Apart from the chair an the bed the room had little furnishing, just like his own room. Only a small table under the window.

He looked at the girl again. Her eyes were still empty and she stared out in front of her without seeing him. He reached out to touch her shoulder but hesitated and pulled his hand back.

There was a little knock on the door and a scrawny man, dressed in grey, entered with a small plate of food and a cup of water.

"Father Jolyon..." he said surprised.

Jolyon nodded. "Give that to me. I'll try to get her to eat."

The man nodded, bowed his head and quickly gave him the food. When the door had closed behind him agian, Jolyon looked the girl straight in the eyes.

"You must eat, my daughter. You must eat a little."

He brought the cup to her lips and tipped it a little. But she did not open her mouth and he watched the small stream of water trickle down from the corners of her mouth.

Jolyon sighed. He stood up from the chair and moved over to the bed. He sat down next to her and tried to feed her something. She still didn't open her mouth, but she did turn her head to face him.

His eyes widened with surprise.

"...Do you see me?" he asked carefully. "Do you hear me?"

She looked at him and then slowly nodded. He sighed with relief.

"I am Father Jolyon of the Grey Monastery. You are safe here. Will you tell me your name?"

"...Where's Ahro?" she asked, her eyes suddenly vibrant.

Jolyon needed a second before realising what she had meant.

"...Ahro? You mean the man on the horse?"

She nodded. "Where is he? Where is he?"

Jolyon grabbed her shoulders softly. "Calm down, my child. Please eat something first."

She looked at the plate he offered her. She took it but didn't touch the food it carried.

"...Calandra." she said quietly.

Jolyon looked at her again, not understanding her for the second time. She looked up from the plate at the man next to her.

"...That's my name. Calandra."

Jolyon smiled at her.

"Thank you." He said. "I will let you eat in peace now. Someone will come and bring you some fresh clothes."

He stood up and nodded at her.

"I will come visit again when you've eaten and rested."

She watched him leave and closed her eyes when the door closed behind him. The darkness in this room surrounded her like a cold blanket, making her shiver.

That man had been so friendly to her, but he probably didn't know what she was. A thief. If they knew, they'd probably ask her to leave right away. She felt a tear fall down her face as she curled up on the bed. She wanted to disappear, to vanish.

Just as long as she didn't have to feel like she did now, empty and alone. She left like a failure, hurting so much inside that she'd rather die.

* * *

"She actually spoke?" Elyon asked curiously. "She talked to you?"

Jolyon nodded. "Well...talked to me...She told me her name. And she asked about the young man."

"What did you tell her? Surely you didn't tell her he is dead."

"No, I told her to rest. All in due time, I think. The time will come to tell her the truth. First she must gain a little strength."

They walked through the garden. Elyon bent down to pick up a small deep purple flower and took in its scent.

"The monks have burried him in our graveyard. Lord Elgare said the prayers."

"...I see."

"And I sent one of the clerics to her with some new clothes."

They walked on through the gardens and turned a corner.

"I must admit I find it curious that Lord Elgare would pray for a man who was very clearly a thief. I would not have thought him to pay tribute to a dishonest man like that." Jolyon said.

"Are we not taught that every man deserves a proper burial?" Elyon mused. "All men are equal, are they not?"

"...Yes, I suppose they are. I know I am not to doubt our Father Superior. But still..."

"I think it's best if you leave it at this." Elyon said as a few monks passed them.

Jolyon nodded. "Very well. I will go to my cell and consult the book of Eleonora. Perhaps She will have some advice for me how to treat our visitor."

"Praisèd be Her strength."

"Praisèd be Her strength." Jolyon agreed before nodding curtly and walking back inside.

* * *

The talking outside had stopped. The monks had moved away from the patch of tomato plants under her window. She held on to the windowsil and tried to see the sky.

She turned around and looked at the clothes that waited for her at the end of her bed. A grey cowl and a simple grey dress. This was what she had seen nuns wear at the sistering monastery at the other end of the road.

She washed her face and her arms with the water in the bowl on the table and slowly started to loosen the many straps of her armour and boots.

She stripped down to her underclothes and quickly threw the dress over her head.

It fitted her, even though it was a bit on the large side. She took the cowl and wrapped it around her shoulders to stop herself from shivering. She listened at the door while tying a rope around her waist.

There was no one in the corridor. Quickly she opened the door and hid her face under the hood of the cowl as she walked down the hallway. She turned a few corners, trying to find her way outside. She wanted to leave before these kind people would have to throw her out because of who and what she was.

Their kindness reminded her of an emotion she wanted to avoid feeling.

Finally she had reached the gardens. The other working poeple gave her no glances because she was wearing their uniform. She heard a few monks talking to each other about the meaning behind the Book. On the other side of the path she saw a couple of clerics being taught how to fight with a quarterstaff.

At the end of the garden she saw what she had been looking for. A barren place in the ground where a wooden cross stuck up into the air.

She walked over calmly, trying to keep herself from crying. She knew this was _hi_s grave, the earth was freshly turned and the cross had been made in a hurry.

She sunk to her knees and whispered his name.

"...Ahro...I'm so sorry...You shouldn't have- I should have taken better care of you. It's all my fault..." She bit her lip. "I should never have let you come along with me. I knew it was too dangerous. But I was selfish, I didn't want to be alone anymore. And...now you have paid for my selfishness."

She bowed her head and tried to see his smiling face before her eyes.

"Please...forgive me..."

She suddenly felt a soft hand on her shoulder. "I think he has, my child. He is in a better place."

She turned around to see and elderly man in a grey cowl, much like the one she was wearing. She recognised his friendly face as the one who had found her the day before and threw herself around his neck, now crying uncontrollably.

The man returned her hug softly, as if he had expected her to reach out for him like this. Once her sobbing had died down she pulled her arms back, embarrassed about her outburst.

She cast her eyes down. "I- I'm sorry, Father. That was disrespectful."

He smiled. "No, it was human nature. You're the young lady we found on the road. Will you tell me your name?"

"Calandra..."

"Well Calandra, I am Father Elyon. Welcome to the Grey Monastery."

"I thank you for your hospitality."

He motioned her to follow him.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" he asked when they walked together.

She hesitated. What should she say? He would probably turn away from her if he knew what she was. But she knew he had already guessed her profession and knew she couldn't tell him lies while he looked at her so friendly and caring.

So she told him everything. She started at the preparations for the tournament. She told him about Finnean, about Tehk. She told him about Ahro and about her plan to rob the transport.

All this time Father Elyon remained silent, listening to her words thoughtfully.

She told him about her loneliness and about how scared she had been at feeling herself lose control. And she told him about the hurt that consumed her.

When she was done they were silent for a while. She couldn't look him in the eye. Finally he coughed.

"...Your heart is troubled. Confusion consumes you after all that has happened and this makes it hard for you to see what path to take now...Your life has been very difficult."

"I understand if you want me to leave, Father." She said quietly. "I am sure a common thief is not welcome at a monastery like this."

But Elyon let out a soft yet friendly chuckle. "A thief? Perhaps not. But, my dear child, don't you think it's time for you to put that part of your life behind you? It would be wise for you to start over, to take a new path."

She looked at him confused.

"Why don't you lay down your thief's existance? You are a troubled person with all that has happened. Perhaps devoting yourself to a deity will give you some clarity. Perhaps that way you can give yourself some peace."

She hesitated. "...Me? Become a nun? I- I'm sorry, Father, but that would not be right for me. I'm not a good little girl. I love fighting, it's what I have done all my life. I would never be able to live peacefully with just books and crops to look after."

Father Elyon seemed to think.

"...There are other ways of devoting yourself to a deity besides studying the Book. Not all of those ways are peaceful."

He looked at the clerics at the other end of the garden. The sound of their quarterstaffs hitting each echoed through the courtyard.

"_They_ are devoted, but not peaceful. They go out to fight fiends and pagans, to bring our teachings across with a more firm hand than we do. They use force as a way to bring across their message."

She watched them.

Elyon laid another hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to decide now. Think about it. Take your time. Life here is good...and you would be able to visit your friend too, if you staid."

She averted her eyes from the clerics and looked at the ground.

"I'll be inside." He said when they finished walking around the garden and had reached the grave again. It's nearly time for our afternoon mass. You're free to join us, if you like."

He left the young woman behind in the garden. She looked back at the clerics and at Ahro's grave.

"What...do you think I should do?" she found herself asking the wooden cross.

It stared back at her silently. The bells rang in the tower behind her and she looked up.

'Perhaps...' she thought with a soft smile.

She bent down to kiss the cross and quickly whispered a soft prayer before heading inside. Perhaps Father Elyon was right. Perhaps _this_ was her second chance in life.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**Well people, that was it! I enjoyed writing it and I enjoyed all of your reviews even more :) **

**Olga de Bont: **Ik speel inderdaad mee met het HWSO maar van een auditie is het nog steeds niet gekomen. Ach, daar ben ik niet rouwig om; da's minder stress voor mij he ;) Fijn dat het verhaal je beviel en dat je de conversatie tussen Lan en Writath echt vond. (Daar zat ik zelf nogal over in namelijk. Ik ben heel slecht in het schrijven van confrontaties.)

**Kar-Vermin:** I never thought you had abandonned me :) And I understand it if you are very busy. Iget that a lot myself, so I know what it feels like. Glad you liked chapter nine as well, I am waiting anxiously for your review on chapter ten and of course on this final one as well. About the sentance structure; I know it can be clumsy. I'm working on it though. I mannaged to convince a friend into being my Beta reader, but she's covering a different story. But talking to her is really helping me to improve my choice of words, grammar and scentance structure. Thank you for being such a faithful reviewer and for always giving me good and uselful advice. Because good advice is hard to come by, these days.

**Grayangle:** Perhaps chapter ten WAS all for you ;) But aside from that, I am really happy with all the reviews you sent me and the faithfulness in reviewing you showed towards this story. I let Ahro die because he was only a plotdevice, unfortunately. He was there solely for me to explain Calandra's difference in behavior. She grew to love someone who was the opposite from Finnean, she learned to care for him deeply. And he softened her up a bit. So when he died, she lost all self-control and attacked those who had killed him to make them pay for the crime. But this loss of control scared her beyond what fright she had kown; she saw a side of hreself that she had not wanted to see. Ever. So it was only because of that loss of control and the fear of it happening again, that she accepted Elyon's offer.  
Again I'd like to thank you for your reviews and perhaps I'll see you at some other stories of mine, even though they fall into different categories.

**Everyone who R&Red, thank you so much. You can write stories, but unless you get feedback, a posted story is pretty useless. A piece of fiction is only as much as the opinion of the readers, I feel. So thanks again!**

**Love, Raven55**


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